


First Virus Resistance

by sunflowerday



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, It might get painful before the end but I promise it'll turn out all right, Minor Character Death, Robots, Romance, Science Fiction, Temporary Character Death, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2018-08-14 02:49:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 69,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7995829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflowerday/pseuds/sunflowerday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the three part series, First Virus Resistance, Rin and Len are thrown into a senseless war that has ravaged their country with no end in sight, killing millions... including Rin. Rin is given a second chance at life in the body of a robot, but will that be enough for them to survive and have a normal life again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Assault Chapter Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to First Virus Resistance! This was started back in 2011 on deviantart and I'm now moving the entire thing over to here. I took a hiatus in the middle of this, but now I'm back at it and working to finish it! Please keep in mind that this was started awhile ago and I promise my writing has gotten better since then ;D
> 
> A quick note about this series! I've split it into three parts to mirror the Vocaloid series it's based on. First Virus Resistance has Assault Chapter, Drifting Chapter, and Restart Chapter (there is technically a fourth one which is a prologue but that came out four years after I started this ^^; so it doesn't have any relevancy to this story) 
> 
> So enjoy me posting the next 22 chapters!

I opened my eyes to my second life. My new body was laid out on a metal platform and the sound of somebody crying was echoing among the whirring electronics. I could open my eyes and find out who it is, but I thought I already knew and I couldn't bear to look.

Slowly, the crying subsided and footsteps approached me. Finally, I dared open my eyes. It was exactly who I thought it was. His blonde hair was pulled up into a disheveled ponytail and his green eyes looked at me with distinct dark shadows. He was as pale as a ghost and looked as if he was seeing one, too. It was Len.

"Do you know who you are?" asked Len.

"Rin," I stated. Len looked tortured at hearing my voice.

"Do you know where you live?"

"In Center City in Exeria*"

"Do you remember how you died?" he asked while staring directly at my eyes, maybe trying to read my thoughts.

"I was shot and killed," I automatically replied, but there was so much more to it. Maybe the end of the world. My new brain brought up the memory and I couldn't stop myself from reliving it.

\-------------

I blushed as Len took my hand and we walked past the many shop windows. It was hot, but I didn't care because I was finally out on a date with Len. I had on a new outfit for the occasion and I practically sky-rocketed when Len mentioned how it looked cute on me.

"Wow, look at that!" exclaimed Len as we stopped in front of a shop window displaying the newest robots. They looked just like a human. I wondered if I'd be able to tell them a part from real humans.

"You're such a genius, why don't you just make one yourself?" I asked, poking fun at him. He really was a genius with robotics and technology in general.

"I bet I could! You know Miku that works at that robotics lab? She's been letting me help with this new project, just as long as none of the other lab workers find out that she's letting a eighteen year old help out with--" but whatever else Len was going to tell me was drowned out by someone's screams. We spun around, trying to see what was happening.

The streets were crowded from all the many people out shopping and we couldn't see past the wall of backs. A hush fell over the crowd until someone started screaming hysterically. All of a sudden everyone started running and we could hear gunshots ringing out.

"Hurry, Rin!" yelled Len as he tried to get both of us away from the gun, but the crowd was relentless. We couldn't get past them. I was shoved down and felt my hand being ripped out of Len's as he seemed to disappear into the crowd.

"Len!" I screamed as I tried not to get trampled. Abruptly, Len burst through the crowd and fell on top of me, covering my head from the running feet. I could hear him grunt as a foot connected with his face and then the space around us opened up. I raised my head just in time to see a man shoot someone beside us. As the body crumpled to the ground, I couldn't take my eyes off the killer. He was a military man; that much I could tell. His dark eyes found mine instantly and he grinned at the sight of Len trying to protect me. Now, I could see that there were several men, shooting into the retreating crowd, killing as many people as they could.

The man pointed the gun at Len.

"Move away from her."

I knew his plan immediately and Len must have as well.

"Never!" Len snarled, but it was inevitable. The man grabbed Len's arm and dragged him away from me. I tried to follow Len, I knew I was going to die, but I didn't want to be separated from him in my last moment.

I felt the bullet slam into my back, propelling me into Len's waiting arms.

"Rin! Rin!"

That was all I could hear as my vision began to turn blurry and a rushing sound filled my ears. I could feel Len's hands clutching at me, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was too late. I was dead.

"Len..." I whispered, trying to reach for his face one last time...

\--------------------

And just like that, it was over. My last memory. I sat up slowly and wrapped my new arms around me.

"Why didn't they kill you, too?" I asked, not looking at him. I could see my own blonde hair around my face and my body still looked like my body, except that it was completely different.

"The police were nearby. They were distracted enough that I could get us away, but... I don't think that man was going to kill me anyway... He had a chance... but he didn't," Len whispered. I could tell he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to speak about it either because it was still a deep wound in his chest, as if he had taken the bullet instead. But I had to keep asking, I had to know.

"How am I like this now?"

Len turned away from me, unable to control himself with the "new" me in front of him.

"You remember the robotics lab? I took you there and we tried the new system I was telling you about before--" his voice caught in his throat before he pushed on, "Miku helped me. We saved your... data and I built this robot. Once it was finished we put you into it and started you up. And now... here we are," Len turned back towards me. He was trying not to cry, to not give in in front of me because I could tell he still wasn't sure. He wasn't sure if it was me. Was I still Rin or did I just have her memories? Even I didn't really know. I felt like Rin. These memories felt like they were mine.

I smiled at Len; smiled because, to me, it felt like I was never separated from him like how he was separated from me.

"You're such a genius," I said while I watched the tears escape from his eyes.

"Rin..." he whispered and stumbled forward. Len flung his arms around me and starting sobbing in earnest. I carefully put my robot arms around Len, a million questions whirling around in my robot mind... or was that the human part?

"Rin... promise me..." Len said through his tears, "Promise me you won't die again... promise me, Rin. I can't ever... go through that... again. Please, Rin... never again..." he searched for my eyes. He looked so grown up, forced to be something he shouldn't be yet by a man with a gun. I should have been wondering what I'd wear to our next date, not who was trying to kill us and what would happen now. I guess we were both grown up now, old beyond our years.

"I promise."

 

 

 

*All of the countries are made up but set in a slightly future time in a place very much like our world.


	2. Assault Chapter Part 2

Len fell asleep in my arms. He must have been exhausted trying to build me. I wasn't sure how many days it had been since I died, but Len must have spent most of them without sleep.

Once I was sure Len was asleep, I carefully picked him up and went to search for a bed. It seemed that I was a lot stronger now and... I kind of liked it. I didn't have to go far because there was a mass of blankets and what looked like a pillow at the far end of the room. I tried to put Len comfortably into the blankets, but he still looked restless and worried, even in sleep. What else could he be worrying about other than whether or not I'd wake up?

Quietly, I started looking around the room. It was full of tools and random robot parts, along with several heavy machines. I glanced at Len, wondering if I should wait until he woke up, but I was too restless. I wanted to see what was going on and why Len was the one building me in the robotics lab. Was it deserted for some reason?

I tiptoed out of the room and headed out into the hallway. The lab certainly looked deserted as I walked through, checking rooms at random. They were all empty with workstations that were left with half done projects. I wandered around aimlessly until I realized I was looking for something. I was looking to see if my real body was still here.

"Why on earth am I looking for that?" I muttered to myself. I didn't think I wanted to see if, but I kept looking anyway. Maybe I had to prove to myself that I was really dead.

A large door loomed at the end of the hall. I stared at it apprehensively and knew what I was going to find behind this door. My fingers refused to move for a moment and I was, irrationally, afraid.

"Afraid? Why should I be afraid of myself?" I asked angrily, but I knew I was afraid of it. And, although my life was already over, I knew that this was going to begin a life I wasn't sure I was ready to face. My fist clenched; I hated being afraid. I was stronger than this. Ignoring my instinct, I opened the door and there I was. I was floating in a vat with wires and tubes sticking out of me. Well, no... that wasn't me anymore. My eyes were drawn to the wound on my chest, the blood was still visible through the bandages.

I felt numb as I walked over to it and pressed my hand against the glass. For the first time I wondered if robots could cry. Suddenly, I couldn't stand the sight of it anymore. I turned around, leaning against the cool glass and slid down the side until I was sitting.

I needed to distract myself, to forget the dead body behind me. Closing my eyes, I began to access the information that was stored in me that wasn't my memories. I wanted to see if anything had been added.

The first thing I came across was how to repair myself. It would automatically be activated should anything happen to me. I moved on, not bothering to really look through that file. There were maps and a scan that showed me the only other person in the building was Len. It also seemed I had really good reflexes along with being stronger. Then I came to something odd. I was programmed to know how to use a gun. Actually, many types of guns and several military weapons as well. That didn't make any sense. Why would I need to know that?

I got up, frustrated with the lack of information, but I wasn't about to go wake up Len. He needed to sleep.

That's when I thought about looking outside.

Quickly, I spun around and found a window immediately. There was some kind of blanket haphazardly thrown across it, and it was a few feet above my head. But I could climb up to it. I used a box and two big machines to make it up to the window. Carefully, I peeked out the bottom of it. It was dark but I could still see it all so clearly and I couldn't believe how utterly changed it seemed.

It looked like a bomb or an earthquake had happened to the city I lived in. Abandoned cars were turned over and smashed, buildings had gaping holes and broken windows, and dead bodies were scattered around, carelessly forgotten. I gasped, unable to match the vision of the street I used to always walk down with Len to the destruction that replaced it. I didn't think it could get worse until I saw a group of four men round the corner, all carrying guns and searching for something among the rubble. Duplicates of the man that killed me.

"Rin."

I jumped and half fell down the machines, but landed lightly as my new systems kicked in. Len was walking towards me. I frowned slightly. He should have been sleeping.

"What happened?" I asked instead of telling him to go back to bed.

"You know the country, Lacov?" Len said after pausing, probably trying to decide what to say. I nodded. "Well, they've attacked us. Actually they're attacking most of the world. No one knows what's going on, they're just killing everyone. I know that there were evacuations and our army came in but we stood no chance. This is enemy territory now..."

Is that why I needed to know how to use a gun? To make sure I didn't die again? But I felt like there still was something Len knew about that that he wasn't telling me.

"What's the rest of the world trying to do about this?" I couldn't stop asking, not until I knew all the answer. And I couldn't stop staring at Len's eyes. The shadows seemed darker instead of disappearing with sleep.

"I don't know, we haven't been able to get any form of communication to work. Miku is out trying to get information and find anyone who's still alive," he said while trying to keep his eyes from traveling to my old body.

"What about our families? Our friends?"

"Probably dead."

That stopped my questions. I turned from Len and stared at the half covered window. After a moment, Len came up next to me and took my hand. I was happy to find that I still liked that. That I was still me. Though I probably couldn't blush about Len anymore.

"We're pretty much safe here. When the soldiers tried to bust in they broke some... well, I'm not exactly sure what it was, but a weird blue smoke filled the upper part of the lab and the soldiers thought it was poisonous. No thanks to Miku stumbling around and coughing before falling to the ground dead, I'm sure," Len smirked at me. Finally, a smile. I felt like maybe we could pull through this.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked as we turned around just in time to see Miku walk in the door carrying a duffel bag full of what seemed to be guns.

"That's what we're going to figure out," she said with a smile and a toss of her long blue hair.


	3. Assault Chapter Part 3

"So, I'm assuming the plan has something to do with guns," I said while Miku began unloading them. And although I was a little apprehensive about what we were going to do, I was glad that Miku wasn't part of the "probably dead." I had met her once before and had liked her a lot after I confirmed that Len wasn't secretly dating her.

"Yes, these are pretty much essential," replied Len as he looked one over, "Do we have ammunition as well, Miku?"

"Yep! I got everything we need. Here, Rin!" she said while tossing one of the guns to me. I caught it easily, "Nice to see that you're awake."

"Wait! What are we planning on doing?" I asked, trying to get some sense out of them.

"Miku, why don't you tell her? I'm going to customize these a bit," Len looked happy that he'd get to mess around with electronics as he put the rest of the guns back in the bag, "That one, too, Rin," he added, holding out the bag. I reluctantly put it back. It had felt like it belonged in my hand.

"Hey, you should go back to sleep!" I yelled after him, but he just smiled and disappeared out the door.

"He's like a new Len," laughed Miku until she realized what she'd said. Her hands flew to her mouth and she looked over at me apologetically.

"It's all right. I understand," I said, trying to show her that I wasn't angry with her. I had seen a little bit of how Len was those days I had been dead and I'm sure they had been much worse than I had seen.

"Sorry," Miku whispered. We stood there, in an awkward silence.

"So, what have you guys been planning?" I asked, reminding Miku what she was supposed to be doing.

"Oh! Oh, yes, well. The basic plan is that we're going to fight back!" Miku exclaimed, her arms spread out for effect. I was actually speechless for a moment.

"We're doing what?!" I half yelled.

"It makes sense! Our military was beaten off and all the Lacov soldiers seem to be doing is killing everyone. It also seems like there aren't any other countries that are going to step in, so... we've got to do it ourselves!" she said excitedly, as if we were planning a trip to an amusement park.

"It seems... impossible. What are just us three going to do against an army? We won't stand a chance!" I said, hoping Miku would hear the sense in my words. Why had Len agreed to this?

"No, we do have a chance!" Miku said, not backing off, "You saw those guns? I stole them form the Lacov soldiers! They aren't expecting any threats form Exeria anymore. Maybe even some other country is keeping them busy! But the point is: they won't expect us to fight back. Lacov thinks we're beaten. And we don't have to take on the whole army! We'll just ambush the soldiers separately. Have you looked outside yet? They don't go around in groups bigger than five. We'll just pick them off one by one!" said Miku, taking a step closer.

"Well..." I began, but now Miku was starting to make sense.

"And what about everyone we lost? We got you back, but that system was a once chance thing. It's a miracle it even worked as uncompleted as it was. We can't just let them win!" Miku finished, taking my hands in hers. There were tears in her eyes. I wondered who it was that Miku lost when the killing began. I sighed and could feel myself giving in. Lacov had killed me and many others. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with it, just like Miku said. And it seemed like it had fallen to Miku, Len, and I to take action; to fight for those dead and anyone still alive.

"You're right. We've got to do it," I agreed. Now I understood what the gun program was for. Len knew I would want to help and do what I could to fight along with him. It made me happy to see how well Len knew me.

"Thank goodness," said Miku as she smiled and tried to wipe the tears away.

"So, why is Len customizing the guns?" I asked as we started walking to where Len had gone. I took one last look at the vat, the solid reminder that I had died, and closed the door firmly. If I could, I didn't want to go back into that room again.

"I don't think there's any particular reason except that maybe he wants them to be specifically our guns and not Lacov's," she said while I looked up at her. I had forgotten that she was taller than me. Miku was probably twenty or twenty-one now.

"I think you're grasping at straws," I said, laughing a bit.

"Maybe, or maybe I'm completely right. You should listen to your big sister Miku! She knows best!" Miku said while giggling and laughing. It was almost like everything was normal again.

Miku pushed open a door that I had checked earlier. Len was there, working on the guns and taking them a part.

"You really should sleep," Miku said as we walked into the room.

"Not until I finish a couple of these," Len said without turning around.

"Len, it's five A.M.," she said with a glance at her watch. I leaned against the table Len was working on and watched as he easily took a part the gun, as if he had known how to do it his whole life.

"I was thinking about making your guns be black and yellow, Rin," Len said, taking a quick look at me. I was smiling.

"Of course. And yours will be the same color?" I asked.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he was smiling, too, now.

"Ha! See, I knew it. I was completely right," said Miku while punching a fist into the air in victory.

"Lucky guess."

"Right about what?" asked Len, but I could see that he was absorbed in his work.

"You better make mine blue!" said Miku, poking Len to make sure he heard her.

"Same color as your hair, right?" asked Len.

"Exactly," replied Miku.

"We better leave the genius to his work," I said to Miku as I headed out to the hallway. 

"Sure, but wait just a moment. Hey, Len," she poked him again, "We're heading out for a bit and you better be asleep when we get back."

"Where are we going?" I asked, confused.

"We need to get you some different clothes. You're only wearing what we could find in the lab," she said while taking my hand and pulling me after her. I looked down. I was only wearing what looked like white scrubs. I hadn't even noticed until now.

"Yeah, let's get some new clothes," I agreed as Miku opened the door to the outside and we set off into the slowly brightening city.


	4. Assault Chapter Part 4

I followed Miku as she carefully picked her way down the street. We kept to the side of the building and watched for any soldiers that might come along. I tried not to look at the dark stains on the walls and the broken bodies that we were forced to pass by. It felt like their unseeing eyes followed me and their bloody mouths cried, Why should you live while we're dead?

We finally came to a slightly demolished women's clothing store. I sighed with relief when I saw that no one had died there.

"Go ahead and take your pick! I'm sure the company won't mind," said Miku mischievously as she disappeared behind a rack.

I laughed, a little bit nervously, as I also started looking around. I didn't have to look long before I found a white button-up shirt that I liked and a pair of black shorts. After I checked to see that Miku wasn't looking, I put the clothes on and threw the old ones into a pile.

"I hope you're decent!" said Miku as she bounded into view.

"Thankfully, I am," I said as I stuck my tongue out at her.

"There are shoes in the back," Miku pointed out. I looked down, embarrassed. I hadn't realized I wasn't wearing shoes, "Here, there are some that I think you'll like," added Miku as she took my hand and pulled me to the back of the store. I waited as she rummaged through the fallen boxes.

"Ah, here we are," said Miku as she showed me a pair of white boots; yellow trimmed the top, and the laces were yellow as well.

"They're perfect!" I exclaimed as I tried them on. They were exactly my size.

"Now you're ready to go!" she said, tossing the box aside.

"Wait, there's one last thing," I said. I walked over to a hanging rack that had many different hair pieces and picked out a white hair ribbon. I tied it deftly into my hair and turned back to Miku.

"Now, I'm ready."

"Okay, let's head out!" smiled Miku as she marched us out of the store. As soon as we were outside we were completely serious again. Miku went first, checking to make sure that we wouldn't run into any unwelcome company. All of a sudden, my heat scan sensors went off. Quickly, I stopped and stared off to the right where, beyond the building, three big figures surrounded a smaller figure.

"Rin...?" asked Miku, wondering why I had stopped. I didn't have time to tell her, I only had time to act. I lunged forward, but Miku grabbed onto my arm, trying to stop me.

"Rin!" Miku tried to hold me back, but she forgot how much stronger I was now. I ripped my arm out of her hand and I started running. I made it around the building in time to see the three men all pointing their guns at a small girl.

"It seems we've got a survivor," mocked one of the men as he got ready to shoot. The little girl hid her eyes behind her hands.

I did the first thing that came to mind.

"HEY!" I yelled, making all four of them jump and turn towards me. The first man took aim but I was already running. I slammed my fist into his head and grabbed the gun as he fell. My fingers immediately went to the correct position on the gun as I spun around and shot the second man. The look of surprise was still on his face as he fell back, dead. The third man attempted to shoot me as I ducked to the ground and kicked out at his legs. He toppled over and I jumped up, aiming at his head.

"No! Wait, please!" the man begged, but I pulled the trigger and watched as the life left his eyes. My breath rasped as I took a step back, trying not to look at the men that I killed, but I couldn't stop looking at them. My bloody fingers trembled on the gun. I killed with these hands...

"Rin," I heard a relieved Miku say. I pulled myself together and turned toward her, "I knew you'd be good at this!" she said as she looked over at the girl I saved. Did she think I'd be good because I wanted to help the girl or because I was a programmed robot? I pushed the thought aside, Miku wasn't like that. She didn't think like that... I hoped. 

"What's your name?" asked Miku, kneeling beside the girl. I turned to look at her. She had light pink hair that was short around her face with a long ponytail down her back. The girl had dirt on her face, and still looked terrified as her eyes went from Miku to me.

"Iroha," the little girl said quietly.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you. We'll take you to a safe place," Miku smiled and held out a hand to Iroha. 

"B-but... my friends! They're still inside the b-building!" Iroha cried as she frantically pointed to an apartment building a street away, "I can't just leave them here! They were asleep and I went looking for food... that's how those people found m-me..." She began to talk towards it, but suddenly fell to the ground with a pained cry, clutching her leg.

"Wait! You're hurt!" exclaimed Miku, trying to help her. 

"Miku, there are more soldiers are coming," I said as my computer brain raced, showing me the heat scan map with twenty or so red blobs coming towards us, "They heard the gunshots and there are too many for us to fight them all."

"We'll come back for them, I promise!" said Miku to Iroha, Miku holding tight to Iroha's arm so that she wouldn't crawl away.

"There's no time!" I yelled as I went over and picked Iroha up in my arms, the gun still in one hand. She squirmed, trying to get out of my arms. Miku nodded and quickly grabbed the other two men's guns. I could hear the stomping boots getting closer.

"Okay, stay close and follow me!" I said as I turned and started running, checking my scans to make sure that we wouldn't run into any of the soldiers. Iroha shoved against my arms, but she couldn't win against a robot's strength. Soon she slumped against me, crying.

"Please... can't we g-go back? Please..." she whispered into my shirt. My hands clenched. It would be suicide to go back; we'd all die trying to help them. Iroha would understand that, eventually. 

"We'll go back for them. We really will," I said as we kept running, Miku gasping behind me, trying to keep up. After awhile I started slowing down, glad to see that none of the soldiers had tried to follow us.

"Are... are we safe?" asked Miku, attempting to catch her breath.

"Yes, they didn't follow us," I replied, still keeping a tight hold on Iroha, but it looked like she had given up on trying to run back.

"Thank god, there's the lab. I've had enough running!" complained Miku as she headed for the door, marked with a hazard sign. We stepped through and closed the door firmly behind us.

"We made it..." I sighed. 

"You can put me down now," Iroha said quietly, not looking at me. I put her down and flinched to see the blood that was still on my hands and now on Iroha's clothing. 

"Here, let's go find something for your leg," said Miku, taking Iroha's hand, "Rin, could you take these guns to Len?" she asked, holding them out to me. 

"Sure," I took them from her and watched Miku and Iroha walk down the hall. Iroha limped slowly beside Miku, still crying. I frowned and looked away as I slowly started walking down to where Len was. Once I got there, the door was closed and it took me a moment to open it, my bloody hand slippery on the door handle. What would Len think when I told him all that happened?

"Hey, Len," I said as I opened the door. Len was fast asleep and slumped over the table, still holding one of the finished guns. I smiled, glad he had finally fallen asleep. I felt my anxiety fade as I watched him sleep. Len would understand when I told him, Len always understood. Slowly, I kneeled next to him, setting the guns aside. I couldn't stop myself from holding onto his hand, even with the blood, praying that by the end of this, everything would be all right.


	5. Assault Chapter Part 5

The door slowly opened and I turned to see Miku standing there. She motioned for me to come out into the hallway. Carefully I set Len's hand back down and flinched seeing the blood I left there. Hopefully I would have time to clean it off before Len woke up.

"How's Iroha?" I asked, shutting the door behind me.

"Well... she's upset," Miku said.

That was definitely an understatement.

"Should we wake up Len and go back now?" I said. Miku bit her lip and stared at the floor, looking very conflicted.

"I think we should wait," she answered without looking at me, "That place is going to be swarming with soldiers by now. We'll get killed if we just charge in there." 

"You're completely right. That's the only way we can help Iroha's friends," I assured her, putting my hand on her shoulder. Miku met my eyes and smiled.

"I'm going to go scout it out and get as much information as I can. I'll come back when it's time," Miku said as she turned to go.

"Wait! Shouldn't I go with you?" I asked, grabbing her arm.

"No, you need to stay here," she said while poking me in the chest, "Len has no idea what's going on and you've got to watch both of them. Hold down the fort for me, okay?"

"Fine, fine, I'll stay," I gave in. Miku just smiled at me and disappeared around a corner. I stood there for a moment, wondering what I should do until Miku came back. The blood on my hands answered that question for me. It took me a while, but I eventually found a bathroom. The cool water felt good on my hands and it felt even better to see the red stain wash off. I took several paper towels, soaked them down, and walked back to Len.

He was still sleeping when I came in and his eyes stayed shut as I wiped the blood off of his fingers. I threw the paper towels away and sat against the wall, staring at Len. I tried not to think about anything, especially not those beautiful memories of Len and I before I died. It was hard not to smile at them though...

 

"Rin...?"

My eyes blinked open, I hadn't realized that I'd fallen asleep. Len looked down at me, still half asleep himself.

"What time is it?" I asked while Len checked his watch.

"Um... two-ish? Yeah, two p.m.," Len said, rubbing his eyes.

"What!?" I yelled, jumping to my feet. It couldn't be that late already!

"What? What is it?" Len asked knocking over the chair as he tried to get up and see what was wrong.

"Miku! She's not back yet! It's been way too long, what if she got shot?" I panicked and made for the door. Len jumped in front of me and blocked the door.

"Wait! What's going on?"

I quickly told him what Miku and I did and about Iroha. My eyes kept drifting towards the door but Len's gaze kept me telling the story. I couldn't meet his eyes when I told him about the men I killed, but his face didn't change.

"That's why we've got to check on Miku! She could be hurt or killed or--" I pleaded with him just as the door opened to reveal Miku, looking dirty but intact.

"I came back an hour or two ago but I saw you guys were sleeping so I didn't bother you!" laughed Miku. I gaped at her.

"You idiot! I thought you were dead!" I said, shaking her by the shoulders, but she just smiled and laughed, "So what did you find out?"

"They're patrolling that area because of the dead soldiers. It'll be a bit difficult, but I think we can pull it off today," said Miku brightly. Her cheerfulness aggravated me and I still wanted to yell at her.

"Why can't we do it another day when there aren't as many people paying attention?" Len asked.

"Well, it'd be safer but one of Iroha's friends is very sick and they don't have any food or water left. And it's only a matter of time before the soldiers start searching the buildings nearby. We know what'll happen if they find those people hiding out there," Miku said, serious now. Len and I both nodded.

"So what'll we do?" Len asked.

"We should go at dusk so we have some cover. I'm going to tell Iroha," said Miku. She walked out and winked at me as she closed the door, leaving Len and I alone. She could be infuriating sometimes.

"Good thing I finished the guns," said Len as he started to pick up one of them before setting it back down. I could tell he was thinking all of this over, his mouth pulled down into a frown. My hand reached out and touched his face. A slow smile spread over his face as he put his hand over mine.

"Don't worry, I'll be right here by your side," I told him.

"I know you will be."

Then he reached over and kissed me quietly.

It was good to see him smiling.

\----------------

In the next few hours we prepared for the assault. Iroha watched us sullenly as we got ready for the extra people coming. She stayed away from Len and I but she was all right with Miku. I could tell that Iroha was terrified of me. It was because I killed all of those men in front of her. She probably thought I was a monster or something. 

"All right. I think we're ready!" Miku said, putting her black and blue gun into her holster. I had two hand guns in my favorite black and yellow style.

"Do you even know how to use that?" I asked Len, pointing at the rifle slung across his back.

"Of course. You'll see," he laughed with me.

"T-thank you," Iroha said quietly. I hadn't even realized she had been hiding behind Miku.

"Don't worry. We'll come back with them," Miku smiled at her. Iroha nodded and watched us walk out the door. I waved goodbye to her as the door closed behind me. We stayed in the shadows and let Miku lead us toward the apartment building. She slowed us down and pulled us into an alley just in time to see two soldiers go by.

"They're this far out?" I whispered, pulling my gun out.

"What should we do? Take them out as we go?" Len asked. We both looked to Miku.

"No, we need to sneak in. If we start firing shots we'll bring all of them down on us. Then they'll know something's up and we might get trapped," Miku said matter-of-factly.

"Right, Captain Miku!" I said with a salute. Len snickered and Miku smiled while shushing us.

I took the lead now, paying attention to my sensors to make sure we didn't run into anyone. We skirted along the rubble and soon enough we came as close as we could to the place where we found Iroha. The soldiers were still checking out the area. I grinned at their confusion. I guess they weren't expecting anyone to resist anymore. Thankfully the building Iroha had pointed out to us didn't have anyone near it.

"Can you tell if there's anyone in there?" whispered Miku.

"Yes, there's definitely only two people in there," I whispered back. Miku and Len nodded, determination on their faces.

We took a roundabout way to make sure we weren't seen and moved in on the back of the apartment building. I went first and tested the door. It was unlocked. Apprehensively, I opened the door but I immediately saw why it didn't need to be locked. Somehow the staircase to the second floor was completely demolished.

"I know it looks like it's going to fall apart at any time, but Iroha said it's sturdy," Miku said quietly, checking out the staircase.

"But how are we getting up there?" I asked, putting my gun back into the holster.

"You are going up," Miku smirked, pointing at me.

"What? Am I supposed to jump or something?" I spat at Miku. Len answered for her.

"You can, you know. You'd be able to jump right up there."

It was weird forgetting that I was a robot.

"Oh, right."

I stationed myself by the stairs and looked nervously at Len and Miku. Len just smiled and Miku waved me on. Steeling myself, I jumped, caught part of the railing and swung onto the landing.

"Okay now pull us up," Miku said, thrusting out a hand to me. I grabbed it and pulled her up until she could safely climb the rest of the way. Len reached up and I easily lifted him as well.

"How did Iroha get down from here?" I asked, looking down at the drop.

"She said something about a ladder, but--" Miku started before I interrupted her.

"Wait! There's someone coming!"

We all spun around in time to see a tall man wielding a pipe.

"Who're you and what are you doing here!?" he yelled, ready to strike. But... I knew that voice.

"Kaito?" I asked incredulously. He hesitated, then looked closer at us.

"Rin? ...Len?" and then all three of us were being tightly hugged by Kaito, his blue hair brushing against my face.

"I'm so glad you... that you guys survived!" Kaito said, crying happily.

"And how do you know him?" Miku asked curiously.

"He's Meiko's boyfriend!" answered Len excitedly as Kaito finally stopped hugging us.

"And who's Meiko?" Miku prodded me, determined to get answers.

"Meiko is my older sister," I smiled before turning to Kaito, "She is with you, right?" My eyes pleading that I was right.

"Yes, but she's... she isn't doing well. Come on, I'll show you," said Kaito, the smile disappearing from his face. He stood up like there was a heavy weight on his shoulders and started down the hallway. Hesitantly, Miku, Len and I followed him, wondering what we'd find once we got there.


	6. Assault Chapter Part 6

Kaito opened one of the many doors and brought us into a bedroom. All of the shades were pulled down over the windows. There was a small light on next to the bed where Meiko laid. She stirred feebly. 

"What was it, Kaito?" Meiko asked.

"Meiko!" I cried, leaping to her side. Her eyes fluttered open and the joy that lit up her face was beautiful.

"Rin! You're alive! And Len too! That's wonderful," Meiko exclaimed, pulling me down into a hug.

"Meiko, what's wrong? What happened?" I asked, searching her eyes.

"I got shot in the leg trying to fight back against those damn soldiers. Gave one of them a black eye at least," she chuckled which turned into a cough before she continued on, "Somehow... somehow we ended up here and hid from the soldiers. There was a girl, Iroha, staying with us, but... we don't know what happened to her..."

"Don't worry! We saved her and we've got her at our hideout. She's all right," I told her, holding onto Meiko's hand.

"Thank goodness," she sighed.

"Is that how you found us?" asked Kaito.

"Yeah, Iroha told us and we've come to get you guys out," Len answered.

"But there's a bunch of soldiers out there right now! How are we going to get past them?" asked Kaito angrily. He looked exhausted.

"We'll kill them," Miku said, showing Kaito her gun. Kaito and Meiko both looked at us, stunned.

"Where'd you get guns?" Meiko asked.

"Nevermind that now. We've got to get you guys out of here. For all we know, Meiko's got an infection or something. We have some medicine at our place, we'll be able to take care of Meiko there," Miku said. Kaito looked down at Meiko then started grabbing things around the room and threw them into a bag.

"But... but I don't think that--" started Meiko, trying to prop herself up.

"No, we'll go. Now. You're getting worse every day, Meiko. We're leaving," Kaito said sharply. Meiko stayed quiet as Kaito grabbed the rest of their things. Maybe she didn't have any fight left in her. It was hard to look at Meiko when she was this weak. She looked so pale. I had to get her out of here.

"Ready, Meiko?" I asked.

"Ready...? Ready for what?" she said looking at me suspiciously. I just smiled as I picked her up in my arms. She gasped in surprise which brought on another coughing attack. I felt her crumple against me. Meiko looked up at me, tears in her eyes. I couldn't tell if it was from coughing or because of what she said next.

"Rin... you're not this strong... I'm not dreaming am I?" Meiko asked, but I just shook my head slowly, dreading the time when I would have to explain everything to her.

"We'll explain it all later. Right now we've got to move."

Everyone followed my lead and we took off out of the bedroom. I went first and jumped down the stairs despite Meiko's terrified yelp. Slowly, I set Meiko down so I could catch the others, wincing at the sight of the makeshift gauze wrap on her leg. Quickly, Miku and Kaito came down. I reached up for Len when the floor where he stood cracked, loud as a gunshot. There was a moment of stillness before the whole thing started coming a part under Len.

"Len!" I cried. He jumped off and I swept him into my arms. Dust and dirt flew through the air as the floor settled.

"Everyone all right?" I asked. There was a lot of coughing before anyone answered.

"Yes..."

"Everyone's fine!"

I sighed with relief before my sensors showed me men running toward the building.

"The soldiers heard it!" I yelped.

"We'll have to run for it!" shouted Len as they began heading for the door.

"Grab my shoulders, Meiko," I said while crouching down. Quickly she grabbed on and I hoisted her up on my back. I ran outside to see Miku and Len pulling out their guns. Len handed one to Kaito as I joined them.

"Run!" I yelled. We took off just as the first of the soldiers came around the corner.

"Get them!"

We dove out of sight just as they started shooting. Bullets smacking into the wall where I had just been.

"There's more coming!" I yelled and Len spun around, taking aim with the rifle. I turned and saw him shoot down two men chasing after us.

"Told you I could shoot it," Len smiled at me.

"This is NOT the time you two!" Meiko yelled in my ear. We glanced away from each other and started running again. Darkness was falling now and I saw Kaito stumbling as Miku led the way. I took aim at another man and watched him fall unmoving on the ground as the other soldiers hurried on. Abruptly the soldiers dropped back until I couldn't see them anymore. We ran for another two minutes without anyone following us or coming up on my sensors.

"Len! I think something's wrong!" I called over to him. Len looked back and suddenly the soldiers were in front of us, "Miku!" but my call was drowned out by Miku's scream. A soldier had her by the hair, a gun to her head. I skidded to a stop and watched as all of the soldiers pointed their guns at us, ready to shoot if we tried to run away.

"Now what do we have here?" said the man holding onto Miku's hair. We kept silent and watched him warily. Meiko's arms tightened around my neck.

"No answer, huh?" he said slowly. Abruptly he drew back his hand with the gun and smashed it into Miku's face.

"Miku!" I screamed. Len started forward as if he could just run over and stop him. A gun fired and grazed Len's arm, drawing blood. I clenched my fists, trying to keep still.

"Stay where you are!" the boss soldier yelled as he turned back to Miku. Her nose was bleeding, "Did you kill soldiers here earlier?"

"Yes," Miku said, a sob rising in her throat. All of a sudden I was terrified. Terrified that we were all going to die here, ripped apart from each other, never able to save anyone. I could see Iroha waiting at the lab, waiting for days with no one ever coming back. She'd die too, eventually. We'd all die. Unless I did something. I was given this second chance for something. At least I would save my friends.

_Rin, promise me you won't die._

I jerked and looked over at Len. He was staring at the boss soldier, anger in his eyes. His voice was all in my head. I wanted to tell him not to worry.

"Drop your weapons!" the boss solider yelled, readying the gun for Miku if we didn't do as he said. This was my chance. Time to move. Time to save them all.

I slowly put Meiko down and reached for my guns just as Len and Kaito had already put their's onto the ground. The boss soldier relaxed, knowing that we were going to comply, but that was my opening. Just as I was about to set the guns on the ground I shot at the boss solider's leg. He went down swearing, his gun no longer pointed at Miku and all of the soldiers gun's now pointed at me. All according to plan. I sprung up, bullet's whizzing by. One clunked into my metal arm, but I ignored it and killed another two men instantly. I saw the boss soldier getting away, but I didn't have any time for him if he wasn't going to fight anymore. There were still five left, but their focus was on me, the demon girl heading straight for them. I kicked one of them down as Len and Kaito started to help. Another bullet hit my arm and stomach, making my left arm fall useless against my side, dropping one of the guns to the ground. Kaito, Len, and Miku shot continuously until the rest of the soldiers fell as well. It was over in a matter of seconds.

There was a moment of silence before I turned back to the others. 

"I... I can't believe we're still alive," Meiko said in a stunned whisper.

"We did it... I don't know how, but we did," Miku sighed as she tried to wipe the blood off her face.

"We better get out of here before any more soldiers show up," I said as I walked back over to Meiko and put my gun away. I pulled her up, my arm dangling uselessly at my side.

"Rin...? I don't... understand..." Meiko said, struggling to keep consciousness. She was staring at my arm that wasn't bleeding.

"Don't worry, I promise I'll explain later. Just don't say anything about it now," I whispered quickly back at her. I didn't want Len to see it yet, I knew what he'd say. Meiko nodded weakly against my back. Len picked up my fallen gun and I kept myself turned away from him so that he wouldn't see my arm. Just not yet, anyway. 

Kaito looked worriedly back at Meiko, but I shook my head. Now was the time to move. We all gathered ourselves together for the last stretch of the mission. Silently, we all ran back to the lab and no one followed us. Miku sighed with relief once we were all inside and safe.

"Meiko! Kaito!" cried Iroha. She jumped up from sitting on the floor to hug Kaito, sobbing with happiness.

"We're back," I whispered, happiness welling up from inside of me, knowing that she wouldn't have to wait alone.


	7. Assault Chapter Part 7

"We better take care of Meiko," said Miku, reluctant to break up the reunion. The happy mood disappeared quickly. Iroha looked over nervously as Kaito stretched out his arms to me. I let him take Meiko as Miku lead the way to the room we'd prepared for when we got back. Trying to be discreet, I waited until everyone was already walking so that I could remain at the back of the procession. I didn't want Len to see where I had been shot... not yet. I looked over at Kaito and Meiko. It was hard to see all the fear in his eyes when he was usually so light-hearted. He wasn't laughing now, even though Meiko tried to reassure him with words I couldn't hear.

Quickly we reached the room and Kaito set Meiko on the bed we had tried to make her. It was just one of the many metal tables that the scientists here used to work on robots. Earlier we had put blankets and a pillow on it, trying to make it comfortable.

"All right, now you guys get out and let me work," said Miku as she started getting the medicinal supplies out.

"I'm staying," Kaito said, holding onto Meiko's hand.

"Good, you can help me then," replied Miku as if she'd known all along that he'd want to. I smiled, realizing she probably did.

"Okay, we're out of here!" said Len as he grabbed Iroha and me by the arms and led us out. I used my foot to close the door behind us, my arm still hanging uselessly beside me. We all stood there awkwardly, unsure of where to go. Abruptly, Iroha started to cry and she wrapped her arms around Len's waist. Len looked at her in shock then looked to me for help. I smiled and just waved him on. He slowly put his arms around Iroha's shoulders.

"Hey, it's going to be all right! We got her here and now Miku and Kaito will take care of her. You don't think a little thing like a bullet is going to stop Meiko, right?" said Len soothingly. She didn't answer, but her crying seemed to lessen. I smiled at them both and tried not to worry. Miku wasn't a doctor, but we had the right medicines. I just had to trust that it'd be all right.

We ended up sitting across from the door. Iroha was in the middle of us, holding both of our hands. Len and Iroha stared at the door, but I stared at the places where I got shot. Two bullets had lodged themselves into my left arm and there was one in my stomach. I knew I was going to have to tell Len soon, but I just couldn't bring myself to it. I tried to stop thinking about it, but my mind kept turning back to when we got caught. My hands had killed again and now I was getting used to it. What did Len think when he saw me killing? Was it different than just hearing about it?

I jumped as I heard Meiko groaning in pain. I jerked to my feet and stopped once I got to the door.

"Sorry...sorry. It was going to hurt a bit," I heard Miku say faintly through the door.

"You're doing great, Meiko," Kaito said. Meiko laughed weakly and I backed away from the door.

"Rin... what's wrong with your arm?"

I froze at the anger in his voice. Slowly, I turned to him.

"I got shot... twice in my arm and... there's one in my stomach too. It must have hit something to make my arm stop working... I...I can't move it," I told Len, not looking in his eyes.

"We'll be right back, Iroha," Len said as he grabbed my good arm and dragged me down the hall. He was mad; he was really mad. My mind bounced around, trying to figure out why. Abruptly, Len turned off into another room that was arrayed with tools and computers specifically for fixing robots. He dropped my arm and turned to get some tools. Slowly, he stopped and gripped the table. We stayed like that, silently struggling with our thoughts. I was the first to break the silence.

"Len, I... I'm sorry. I know I should've told you sooner, but... I was..." afraid that something like this would happen.

"No, Rin. You don't have to apologize," Len turned back to me. There was a deep anguish in his eyes that made me flinch, "I... forget sometimes that you aren't human. Getting shot isn't going to kill you anymore, but... I still get worried about you. What if the bullet had hit something important? If you get shot in the head in the right place or in the Heart, you might still die. I-I don't want you to die..." I cringed, but couldn't look away from Len's pained face, "I'll fix your arm and get the bullets out, Rin. Just don't be afraid to tell me, all right?" he asked me as he reached for my hand. I took it, wishing I didn't keep hurting him.

"I'm sorry I worried you and I'll tell you next time," I replied and Len rewarded me with a smile of his own. Slowly he let go of my hand and started working on getting all of the bullets out of me. I watched him and couldn't stop thinking about what I kept doing to him. I didn't have to go through the agony of losing him, but Len did. Len watched me die the first time. He thought he'd lost me for good. And after all we'd been through, he still only worried for me and didn't even pause to think about the people I had killed. I couldn't keep worrying him needlessly. He was tired enough as it was.

"Got it!" said Len as he threw the last bullet aside, carelessly. He quickly fixed the problem in my arm, muttering about this or that. Finally he finished by closing the skin around all of the bullet holes.

"All done," sighed Len as he put down the tools. I flexed my arm, glad that I could move it again.

"We should go see how Meiko is doing," I said, taking Len's hand. He nodded in agreement and we headed back. Once we got there we found the door opened and all of the others gathered inside. 

"How is she?" I asked hesitantly.

"I'm all done and she's just sleeping now," answered Miku, sounded exhausted. Her hair was still disheveled and it looked like she had tried to clean up the blood from her nose sometime during the procedure or before. Kaito and Iroha looked relieved.

"That's great!" said Len in a hushed voice, squeezing my hand.

"I think she'll be just fine, but we'll have to see once she wakes up," added Miku, rubbing her eyes.

"Come here, Miku. You need to sleep, too!" I said, walking over to Miku to drag her away. She started to protest, but Kaito interrupted her.

"Don't worry. If anything happens we'll come get you," he pulled over a chair and set it up next to Meiko. Iroha also made it clear that she would not be leaving.

Nodding, I took Miku by the arm and Len, Miku and I left them alone.

 

Over the next few hours we waited for Meiko to wake up. Miku slept while Len and I made sure that no soldiers followed us to the robotics lab. The day was starting to fade into evening when Miku and I started cooking dinner for everyone.

"I hope everyone likes rice," said Miku as we started walking back to the rest of them in Meiko's room, carrying trays of food. Len opened the door for us, a huge smile on his face.

"What is it?" I asked, but I was quickly answered.

"I'm alive and awake, of course!" exclaimed Meiko, from within. I looked around Len and saw my big sister looking lively if not completely healthy yet.

"Meiko!" I yelled. Len took the tray as I ran over to her and hugged her.

"I woke up just in time for food. You guys wouldn't happen to have any beer, would you?" Meiko asked, laughing all the while. It was good to see her back to her rambunctious self.

"We don't, but it's probably for the best," snickered Len.

"Hey! Come over here so I can punch you!" mocked Meiko. Len just laughed as he and Miku handed out the food. I went out and grabbed some more chairs for us all. Meiko was the first to start eating, but she slowed down as she saw my empty hands. I hoped that she would forget all the abnormalities I had showed earlier, but I knew that it wouldn't last long.

"Why aren't you eating, Rin?" Meiko asked and the rest of the chatter died down. Len looked away, but Kaito and Meiko looked at me expectantly. I guess I couldn't put if off any longer.

"I can't eat anymore, Meiko. I--" I started and took a shaky breath, "I died in the first attack."

Meiko and Kaito gaped at me.

"You're not dead! You're right here in front of me!" Meiko practically shrieked. I flinched and continued on.

"Len got me here, to the robotics lab," realization started to dawn on Kaito and Meiko, but Meiko kept shaking her head, "They had been working on a new program to transfer humans into robots and... Len and Miku tried it out on me. So, now I'm a robot..." I ended, not sure what else to say.

"That... that can't be... but, you're... you're still you, right?" asked Meiko in a small voice, her words were like a dart to my heart. Slowly, I took her hand.

"I'm still me, Meiko. I'm still Rin," I said, my voice shaky. Meiko looked in my eyes, searching them. I'm not sure what she found, but she seemed satisfied.

"Oh, Rin," she sighed as she pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back, glad that everything had gone well.

They started eating again while Miku and Len began recounting all that had happened to us since then and what we planned to do now. I sat back and relaxed. It felt like we were a family again, as if everything wasn't falling apart. Once we were all done, Kaito carried Meiko back to the make-shift bedroom and we all followed, settling down for the night. I snuggled into the blankets, looking over at Meiko, who had already fallen asleep. Iroha and Miku slept in between us while the boys were on the other side of the room. With all of the blankets and pillows we'd strewn across the floor, it seemed like a gigantic nest. slowly I fell asleep, glad that everyone was safe.

 

My eyes snapped open as I saw someone crawling toward me. It took me a moment to realize it was Len.

"Len, what're you--?"

"Sorry..." Len whispered, cutting me off. He sounded terrified as he lay down beside me, taking my hand.

"What is it?" I asked urgently, trying to sit up. Len just shushed me and pushed me back down.

"It's nothing... I just had a... nightmare is all..." he curled into my arm, hiding his head, but I could tell he was crying. Silently, I rubbed his arm until he calmed down. Soon I felt the tenseness leave his shoulders and he relaxed in my arms. Quietly we both fell asleep, protecting each other from nightmares and our own bad thoughts.


	8. Assault Chapter Part 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time jump anyone? (lmao sorry there aren't notes on all of these chapters I'm posting them all at once up to Ch. 22 XD)

2 Months Later

I was pretty sure I was dreaming, but there was something about it that just seemed so real. 

"I've almost run out of patience."

I looked up slowly to see a woman lounging gracefully in a chair. She had long pink hair which she tangled her fingers into as her icy eyes glared at the man she spoke to.

"I'm sorry," the man said. He had long purple hair tied so that it tumbled down his back and he was kneeling before the woman, "We still haven't found the Resistance. They are very... elusive."

"Unacceptable," the woman snapped. She stood up, making the man flinch, "I want Exeria to be crushed: utterly destroyed. I want that Resistance gone."

What was going on? Who were these people? I tried to move but my body wasn't my own any longer. It must be a dream...right?  
The man looked frightened as the woman slowly paced around him. She stopped and gripped his shoulder, her painted nails flashing.

"Lucky for you, Gakupo, I have come up with a solution." She turned towards me while she said it, a smile spreading on her face.

\-----------------------------------------

My eyes snapped open as I quickly sat up. I was in the robotics lab, tangled up in the blankets of the room we had claimed as a bedroom. Meiko was still there, sleeping with Iroha curled up beside her.

"So, it was a dream..." I sighed. I still wasn't sure what to make of it. Who were those people? I was sure that I had never seen them before... Slowly, I got up, trying to be quiet and not wake up Meiko and Iroha. It'd been a couple months since our first mission and we'd been diligently trying to make life hell for the intruders. It almost explained my dream. I had been so worried about why this was happening that now I was constructing these wild fantasies. At least we were still fighting back and finding other survivors.

I dressed in a haze, still thinking through the dream. Deciding that there was no point in worrying about it, I headed for the door to go find a mirror to fix my hair in. The door opened before I could get to it, revealing a girl with short bright green hair.

"Hey, Rin! I was just coming to get you!" Gumi said cheerfully before I shushed her and pointed at the two still sleeping, "Oops!" she said quietly as she lightly hit herself on the head. I smiled and shook my head as we both walked out of the room, Gumi shutting the door softly.

"Sorry about that!" she exclaimed, looking a bit embarassed.

"It's all right. Did you need me for something?" I asked. Gumi was one of the survivors we picked up after we had gotten Meiko and Kaito. Len and I had been scouting around when we ran into Gumi. She had been armed with a shotgun and an assortment of kitchen knives, trying to find people and attacking soldiers along the way. It wasn't a surprise that she joined up with us.

"Yeah, Len and Miku wanted me to get you. They're in the weapons room," Gumi answered, pointing down the hallway. We had started naming rooms in order to actually be able to find each other in this huge place.

"Thanks Gumi! I'll go see them now," I said as I started off down the hallway, wondering how long I had been sleeping.

"Might be a new mission!" Gumi called after me. I just smiled and waved at her. It was nice having friends again, almost like we weren't in a state of war. There was now twenty-three of us hiding out in the lab, but we knew of many other groups around the city. They didn't join up with us but we still helped each other when we could. Mostly it was just teenagers and kids at the lab but I didn't mind. I kind of liked the way we lived.

In a distracted effort to forget about the dream, I wondered what kind of mission Miku and Len had this time. Hopefully, it was another food run. With all of the new people living here our food supplies always seemed to be low. I was beginning to get worried about how far we had to start looking for groceries and other food stores. And with the other groups of survivors taking what they need as well...

"Ugh, more things to worry about..." I sighed. The longer we lived like this the more scared people got that it was going to be long-term. Miku and Len were still trying to get in contact with anyone outside of the city, but nothing worked. We were still alone.

I was almost to the weapons room when I remembered that my hair was probably a mess; I had left my ribbon in because I was so exhausted last night. Thankfully there was a bathroom nearby. I slipped in and shut the door before looking up at my reflection. My eyes widened in shock as I looked in the mirror.

The face in the mirror wasn't mine. It was a boy with short white hair with two different colored eyes. One was blue and the other was green. He stared blankly back at me.

"What is going on!?" I yelled at the face, but he said nothing and I descended into the dream again. I could feel my body falling as my vision went black and continued the scene that I had left.

\-------------------------------------

"A solution?" questioned Gakupo. The woman just smiled and nodded.

"From the reports I've been receiving, our main worry seems to be a bunch of kids," she started, making Gakupo cringe at her obvious displeasure, "but it seems as though the real reason they are...surviving, is they are being helped by some sort of robot."

"But a robot shouldn't be that much of a problem or have those kinds of functions!" exclaimed Gakupo indignantly.

"It's no normal robot. It seems that Exeria has perfected the Kokoro System," she said simply as Gakupo gaped at her.

"The Kokoro System! You think that robot has--?" started Gakupo before she cut him off.

"Yes, but don't worry," she continued in a fake sweet voice as she walked toward me. I wanted to get away but the dream--was it really a dream?--held me there, "I've tried out my own Kokoro System; although it's not up to par with Exeria's, it'll do for now."

Gakupo just watched her, still confused. She walked over to me, placing a hand under my chin.

"You'll do it for me, won't you Piko?" the woman asked, sending a shiver down my spine. The white haired boy's face was reflected in the woman's eyes.

"Of course, Luka."

\------------------------------------

Suddenly I was back in my own body, lying on the bathroom floor. I couldn't move for a second. My mind was racing and I was completely terrified. Slowly, I sat up, wrapping my arms around me. I felt weird. Did robots even have dreams? That thought scared me even more. Now that I thought back, I hadn't had a dream since I became a robot. It had just felt so natural to call it a dream...

Quickly I jumped up and started running to the weapons room. I had to tell Len. He would know what to do. He'd be able to fix this. Finally I reached the room and tried to open the door but my left hand completely missed it. I didn't have time to think about it as I hurriedly opened it with my right hand. Len and Miku were inside perusing a map of the city.

"Rin! Where've you been, sleepy-head?" asked Len smiling at me but he quickly became serious once he saw my face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to me. Miku also looked up, concerned.

"I...um, something..." I started, unsure how to say it now, "something is wrong with me!" I half yelled at them.

"Why? What happened?" asked Len, grabbing my arm.

"What is it, Rin?" Miku said almost at the same time as Len, the map still clutched in her hands.

"I blacked out and...I was having these weird visions, or like a dream..." I tried to explain, feeling extremely flustered and confused.

"Are you sure you weren't just tired? Have you been getting enough sleep?" asked Miku, but I just shook my head.

"It wasn't like that...I don't know what it is, but something is definitely wrong..." I trailed off, hoping they would understand why I was so panicked. 

"Let's go check it out," Len said, taking my hand and pulling me out the door. I smiled at him with relief as Miku abandoned the map and followed us out.


	9. Assault Chapter Part 9

We walked in silence, but I knew we were heading toward the part of the lab that held all of the high-tech robotic equipment. The vat that used to contain my human body was in there, too, but we had to move my body a while ago. After the first attempt of the soldiers to search the lab we decided to bury it. It was definitely weird visiting my own funeral. Thankfully the lab had specific parts that could completely be locked down so unless they decided to bomb us, we were safe down there.

We were almost there when we ran into a bunch of people, waiting to see what the next mission was. Gumi must have said something to them.

"Got something good for us, Miku?" asked Meiko, leaning against the doorway and yawning. I didn't hear the reply as my vision turned black and my legs crumpled underneath me. This time the white haired boy, Piko, looked straight at me.

"It seems you saw some of my memories when I hacked you..."

_Hacked me!?_

"But I guess it doesn't really matter. You'll be useless soon enough. I wouldn't be surprised if your friends killed you themselves," Piko ended with a very cold smile.

"You! What did you do to me?" I yelled, trying to reach my arms out at him, but he was just speaking to me in my mind.

"Well...maybe you'll just have to wait and find out," said Piko as he turned and walked away.

"Hey! Wait!" I yelled, but my vision was already clearing up. Len, Miku, and many other faces were looking down at me.

"What's wrong? What hap--?"

"Rin! Rin!"

"Is she all right?"

"Clear off for--"

"Rin, look at me!"

That was Len. I looked at him, still dazed.

"L-l-l-len, I'm be-e-ing hacked!" I tried to tell him, but my voice wasn't under control.

"Her voice is breaking up, this could be bad," Miku analyzed, but I couldn't look at her. I felt strong arms pull me up and start half-dragging half-carrying me down the hallway.

"What do you think it is?" Len asked on my left.

"I'm not sure yet. We'll have--" started Miku, but I couldn't concentrate as a flashing screen appeared in front of my eyes.

**WARNING VIRUS DETECTED**

Everyone's words began running together as my systems attempted to keep Piko out but he was ruthlessly jumping from one program to another. He was changing things to fast for me to keep up with and now I was shaking. It felt as if a bug was zipping up and down my wiring.

"I hate--I hate--I hate--I hate--" my voice repeated. I couldn't finish the sentence.

"Hurry!" Len yelled, looking into my eyes as Miku tried to find the right cord. I didn't even remember getting to this part of the lab.

"What's happening to her?"

"--collapsed, then yelling--"

"--said something about being hacked--"

"I hate--I hate--I hate--I hate--"

"I can't find the right one!"

"Rin? Rin--!"

"We'll have to shut her down,"

Len said that. The conversations were starting to get clearer but I wasn't sure that was a good thing...

"I'm sorry, Rin. I'll fix this, I promise." I forced myself to look at Len while he said that. He was holding me and reaching around the back of my head to my neck to shut me down.

**REBOOT TO STOP VI--**

"Too late," Piko or I said as I reached for the gun Len always carried with him and shoved him away. There was a silence as my mind flashed through the new orders.

**SYSTEMS CHANGED**

**WARNING: ENEMIES**

**SHOOT AND KILL**

**KILL**

It was no longer a choice. My arm moved by itself and took aim. It was Gumi, her eyes wide in terror. No! What was I doing?!

**FIRST TARGET**

"Now, go," Piko's voice echoed from the back of my mind.

And I shot. Her scream tore through me as fell to the ground. Everyone looked on in shocked silence before they saw my gun was aiming for another target. Quickly they all began to panic and run for the doors.

"Get out! Get out!"

"Get them out! Close the doors be--"

"--take care of it! Just move!"

I shot again. I couldn't see who it was...didn't want to see who it was. They couldn't leave fast enough as my gun followed their movements and felled two more of them.

"This co-co-couldn't... this can't be... I d-d-don't want..." I tried to say but my mind was in a haze. Did I...? Did I kill Gumi...?

"Come on! There's still more of them scurrying around!" Piko yelled in my head, disorienting me further. Before I could follow his next order bullets slammed into my leg, knocking me down. I looked around to see Kaito getting ready to shoot again.

"Wait, don't!" yelled Len as he grabbed Kaito's arms, trying to stop him.

"Get off me, Len!" Kaito said in a strained voice, avoiding Len's eyes as he said it. There were only five of us left in the room. Kaito struggling to get Len off him, Gumi's immobile form, and Miku--

"We have to, Len. She's trying to kill us," Miku was standing opposite of Kaito and Len, her gun pointing directly at me.

"No! We can't! What if you kill her?!" Len continued to yell, trying to get them to stop, but I could see it wasn't going to work. Part of me didn't want it to work. Piko had to be stopped... I had to be stopped. _Promise...promise me you won't die again._ His words floated up through me and it felt like I was being torn in two. I watched in horror as I unsteadily got to my feet. Piko was pointing me to my next target, Miku.

"Ready? You'll probably want to kill yourself after this one," Piko sniggered. My back arched, as if physically trying to get rid of him, but it was no use.

Was I going to kill them all?!

"I'm scared--I'm scared--I'm scared--" my voice skipped as my gun hand turned toward Miku.

"NO!" screamed Len as Miku shot at me. The bullets thunked into my arm and shoulder, barely missing my "heart," as I staggered backwards from the impact. Before Miku or I could shoot again Len ran towards me and threw his arms around me.

"Please stop, Rin," he whispered, tears falling freely as his fingers scrabbled at the back of my neck to power me down. I wanted to let him do it or at least have Miku stop me...

**DO NOT SHUT DOWN**

I ripped his arms away from me and shot. He seemed to fall away from me slowly, his arms spread wide and a red stain blossoming bigger and bigger on his chest.

"Rin..." he breathed out as he crashed to the ground. Kaito and Miku looked on in stunned silence. Len didn't move.

No. No.

He laid there.

No. I couldn't have killed him.

The blood seeped onto the ground.

No. Not my Len. My love, my hope.

He was dead.

 

I screamed.

"AAHHHHHH!" my hands jerkingly pressed to my head. He was dead. I killed him. I shot him. I killed Len. He was dead.

"NOOOOOO! AAAHHHHH!" I screamed. I didn't know what Miku or Kaito were doing, I couldn't see them anymore. Only Len's face as he fell...saying my name. I shoved everything out, even Piko's voice. 

My right arm started to move again, the one with the gun, the one that killed Len.

"LEEEEEEEEEEN!" 

Quickly I reached for my right arm and started pulling. The metal wrenched a part and a bullet that had gotten stuck in my arm fell uselessly to the ground. I stood there a moment with my detached arm in my hand before I dropped it. My mind was scrambling to figure out what happened.

Why wasn't I crying? Oh, that's right, robots don't cry. Robots don't feel pain.

What a lie.

Robots can kill. Robots can kill their friends...

Robots can kill the one they love.

Kill...

Len...

I should kill myself and hope that heaven will still let me in to see Len.

_Rin...Promise me..._

I ran.

 

 

 

End of Assault Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Assault Chapter is finished and we're onto Drifting Chapter! I promise everything will be okay <3


	10. Drifting Chapter Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready for Drifting Chapter? ;D

All around me was black, but even that felt distant. A pain so great that I didn't even want to feel it. Something skittered along the edges and brought me to see a faraway image. It was... a little girl, crying alone.

Wait... That's... me...

What was bringing up this memory? I just wanted to forget. I didn't want to remember what was coming up next. I should never have met Len that day. Then he wouldn't be dead.

Suddenly the memory filled my vision, but the image was distorting and I could feel something else.

The virus!

The smaller me was reaching for his hand; soon she would look at his face.

I can't... I don't want to see...

The virus wasn't stopping.

DON'T COME IN HERE!

Abruptly my eyes snapped open to the sun blazing down on me. I was lying sprawled on the hard gritty earth. I didn't get up or move. I didn't want to, I couldn't do it. It felt like the sky was collapsing around me, burying me alive. Maybe I was waiting. Waiting for...what? Nothing. Waiting for nothing. There was nothing left anymore.

I don't know how long I lay there, or how long it'd been since I powered down outside of Center City. The sun moved and I was left staring at an empty sky. I tried not to think, but it was useless. Len's death replayed in my mind, the look on his face... I could see it every time I closed my eyes. The pain was unbearable, which didn't make sense since I was a robot. Why should my chest hurt this much...? Did Len feel this way when I died? Except it wasn't the same. He had a possibility of bringing me back. Len was gone...forever.

What was I going to do now?

All of these questions swirled around in my disoriented mind. They were all so unanswerable.

My systems were running sluggishly, still trying to repair themselves. Though I wasn't sure if I wanted to be repaired. The virus was still in my body; my left hand was still twitching and jumping as if trying to follow an order that kept changing. I tried not to think about what was happening to my body. The virus felt like bugs skittering up and down my hardware, making me shudder, but I tried to ignore that as well.

It felt like a year had passed once the sun set. Maybe I had been lying here a century instead of a day. For some reason, I could feel energy flowing through my body. I tried looking through my destroyed systems and saw that I had charged with solar energy. Le-...He must have put that in. Did he really think of all these situations?

I sat up with some difficulty. I had almost forgotten about it: my missing arm. I looked around, trying to distract myself, and saw that my left hand was still clenched around Len's handgun. It triggered images of me running through the city until I ended up...here? I shook my head, but that time remained fuzzy. I had no idea how I ended up here. I must've run the whole way.

But where "here" was, I didn't know. I couldn't even see the city anymore, there was just hard dirt stretching out before me. A little distance away there seemed to be a highway. I could see a sign, broken and falling over. Behind me there was a line of trees or what was left of them. They looked like they had been burned. Only a few had green leaves left.

It all seemed so pointless.

[Well, at least you're thinking rationally now.]

I froze, my arm rigid and tense in front of me. Did someone sneak up on me?

[As if I could sneak up on you. I wish I was as far away from you as possible right now] the voice sighed, obviously exasperated with me.

"Where a-are you?" I asked, my voice unintentionally skipping over some of the words. One of the most damaged systems seemed to be my voice.

[I'm stuck in your head, idiot!]

The voice really was coming from my head. Was it the virus talking to me? Did viruses even talk? Suddenly the voice seemed very familiar...

"Piko...?" I asked cautiously.

[Of course it's me! I got trapped here when you freaked out and overloaded your systems! I couldn't get back to my body and now I'm trapped in yours!] Piko complained.

Now I was starting to panic. Piko was in my head! What if he could take over my body? Or force new commands on me or... He could do anything. I shivered, thinking of all the possibilities and trying not to linger on what had happened. But... if Piko could do what he wanted, why hadn't he forced me to go back already? Why did he have to wait to talk to me until I was "thinking rationally?"

"You can't control me or do anything anymore, can you?" I stated, already knowing it must be true.

[No, what would give you that impression?] Piko sneered.

"Pr-ove it then," I said, attempting to cross my arms before remembering I only had one.

[I-I don't need to prove anything to you! I'll do what I want to!] yelled Piko, fighting a losing battle.

I sighed with relief. At least he couldn't make me go back and... kill any of them. The others would be safe.

[All right, fine. I don't have control, _at the moment._ But I will take control again. Then I'll force you to go back there.] Suddenly Piko stopped being so agitated. [I wonder what will happen when I bring you back there...]

I wanted to plug my ears. I wanted to stop him from continuing, but it was useless. He went right on talking.

[They'll be furious after you killed Len. He was even trying to protect you when you did it. You also killed Gumi, didn't you? I wonder who else might've died...] Piko said gleefully. He could feel my pain. It felt like I could hear my heart throbbing. I closed my eyes and buried my face in my knees, but it just made it worse.

[Miku must hate you now. I wonder if she would kill you first or if you would kill her?] Piko laughed.

"I hate-- I hate-- I hate-- I hate--" I stuttered out, but Piko kept going.

[I wonder if Iroha has nightmares about you? You must've looked like a horrible monster to her. They must all think you're a monster. I bet even your sister would turn on you and kill you now!]

"How do yo-u know all these p-people? How do you k-now Meiko's my si-ster!" I yelled over him, on the verge of panic.

[Just because I can't do anything to you doesn't mean I can't access your files. I've been going over your memories... quite interesting. I was looking at the day you met Len when you woke up...]

No...

[And this other one...]

No... no stop it...

[You were good friends with Miku, weren't you?]

No... I can't take this...

[...Gumi is dead, you'll never get to talk to her again...]

DON'T COME IN HERE!

I screamed as if that would push Piko away. The throbbing and pounding were too loud in my ears, mixing with Piko's voice. I couldn't drown it out. Quickly I opened my eyes, trying to find something to distract myself from this agony, and I got my wish almost immediately.

A group of Lacov soldiers were standing in front of me, their guns lowered directly at my chest. The noise in my ears hadn't been my heart, it had been the truck these soldiers had rode up in... to kill me. I could hear Piko laughing in the back of my head.


	11. Drifting Chapter Part 2

I had one chance to make it out of this. They were off guard with me screaming and confused about my absent arm. Basically, they had no idea what was going on here.

One chance.

I threw myself forward, crashing into the legs of the man in front of me and firing my gun into the group. Two collapsed to the ground as I killed the surprised soldier I had taken down. The others were attacking now. Two bullets uselessly buried themselves into my leg. Quickly I got to my feet, kicking out at the closest attacker. I cringed at the sound of his bones breaking. Suddenly I tumbled forward, unbalanced from the kick and the missing weight of my right arm. One of the soldiers remaining grabbed me around the middle, pulling us both down. My head bounced forcefully off the ground as my back hit the ground. I tried to shoot the soldier on top of me, but I missed.

"Keep her down!" yelled one of the soldiers to the man on top of me. I started struggling before I saw the gun trained to my forehead.

"What the hell is she?" that one was a woman, off to my left. There was four still alive. Three lay dead on the ground.

[I wonder if I'll go back to my body once they kill you! Or maybe then, once your "heart" is gone, I'll be able to take over...] Piko mused, trying to frighten me further. He was succeeding. The image of me rampaging back to the lab, killing everything in my wake, was too real.

"It must be a robot..." said the man who had been checking to see if the others were really dead.

"That doesn't make any sense! It's too human-like!" the woman said again. They stood uncertainly around me. I must've killed the one in charge.

"It doesn't make any difference what she is. She killed our men and we have orders to kill anyone we find no matter how... unusual they seem," said the man with the gun pointed at my head. I looked away into the face of the man on top of me, except he was still a boy. Brown hair matted to his head and deeper brown eyes looking at mine. His terrified eyes couldn't look away from my face. Maybe he was wondering what kind of monster had just killed his comrades.

"I'll find out what she is after you kill her, then," said the woman as she drifted forward.

[I guess you're gonna die now] Piko whispered in the back of my mind, a confusing thread of emotions behind it. I didn't have time to understand it.

Instead I looked at the brown haired boy and pretended he wasn't going to have nightmares about me.

_BANG._

I flinched, fully expecting the bullet to come ripping through my skull, but I was still alive. I heard a grunt as I quickly looked for the man who was going to shoot me. He was falling to the ground, dead. The others stared in shock with me. What had just happened?

"There's someone else!" yelled the other man as another shot rang out from the darkness, killing him as well. The woman quickly started shooting into the darkness as the boy looked between the two of us, trying to decide which was more important. His hold loosened on me. Almost without thinking, I knocked his arm away. His eyes widened in fear as I grabbed my gun and pulled the trigger. I watched the life leave his eyes as his body collapsed on me. I lay there for a moment, feeling as if I had killed Len all over again. No, I couldn't start thinking like this. He was going to kill me so I killed him. End of story.

I pushed him off, making a noise that almost sounded like a sob, when I saw them.

There were two of them. The tallest was a boy with shocking pink hair. His eyes stared down at me, calculating. He had a rifle slung across his back, as well as the one he held in his arms. The other, only a head shorter, was a girl with long light brown hair which almost looked tan. She also had several guns. Both of them had travel-worn clothing, and I wondered if they had been traveling since Exeria was attacked.

I nervously waited for them to say something and tried not to think about my appearance. From the jagged metal where my arm used to be and the fresh blood stains mingling with the dried ones, I had no idea what they must be thinking about me.

"Well, that sure was a close one," said the boy. He looked a couple years older than me.

"Good thing we showed up when we did," replied the girl. She sounded as if it was some kind of joke.

[Too bad...] Piko muttered. I mentally shushed him.

"Thank y-ou for saving me," I said as I slowly stood up.

"Are you a robot?" questioned the girl, her eyes flicking back and forth between my face and my missing arm.

"Yes, but I-I used to be a human," I replied. That bit of information didn't go over so well. They looked at each other then back at me, probably trying to assess whether I was lying or not.

"That's hard to believe..." the boy trailed off.

"It's true," I said, feeling exhausted for some reason, "I've go-t nothing to hi-hide anymore."

The girl smiled as if coming up with an idea.

"Do you have a place to go?" she asked.

I cringed at that question and quickly shook my head "no." The boy looked over at her, a bit confused.

"Perfect! You should come with us then!"

The boy and I both looked at her in shock, but he recovered first.

"You have a feeling about her, don't you?" said the boy. He seemed to be trying to decide whether he wanted to be annoyed with her or not, "We can't just take in every person we help."

"But she needs us! The others didn't!" the girl tried to persuade him.

"I can t-ake care of myself," I added lamely.

"Now don't start lying to us now," admonished the girl. Her emotions changed so quickly. She reminded me of Gumi in a lot of ways. I looked questioningly at the boy and he just shrugged. 

"She's one of those weirdos that can tell if someone is lying," he explained quickly as the girl kicked him in the leg. 

"Don't call me a weirdo!" she yelled at him. I laughed at the glares they were giving each other. They both turned quickly when they heard me laughing.

"Wow, I didn't know you could smile, let alone laugh," the boy said in fake astonishment, which got all three of us laughing. It felt good to laugh, if not a bit strange.

[Ugh, this can't be happening...] groaned Piko, reminding me of all the deaths and the virus.

"See? You do need us!" exclaimed the girl as she walked over and took my hand. Almost as if crossing an invisible line.

"You're right," I selfishly agreed. I didn't want to spend the rest of my days with just Piko to remind me of all the terrible things I've done. It would be better to be with these two, then at least I wouldn't break my promise to Len, but... I felt split in two. One part of me still screaming, the other part... I could only describe as desperate. Desperate not to be left alone, desperate for something to keep me sane. I couldn't turn these two down.

"Then it's decided!" the girl said. The boy seemed to want to oppose that but he gave up and just shrugged. "What's your name?"

"It's Rin."

"Mine is IA and this is VY2," said the girl named IA. This time I looked at them strangely.

"Those aren't your real names..." I started.

"Nope! They're codenames. Cool, huh?" VY2 said. I decided to just accept that and move on.

"We've stayed here too long," IA said suddenly and VY2 nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, other soldiers will come along soon," he added as he turned and started walking. I hesitated, but IA quickly grabbed my hand.

"Don't worry, we've got a car! We'll just drive for a while and then we can sleep," she said reassuringly, though that's not what I needed to be reassured about.

I just nodded and followed them, as I tried not to look back at the bodies we left behind us.


	12. Drifting Chapter Part 3

They did have a car. It was a black truck with supplies and other sorts of odds and ends all strapped into the truck bed. It didn't have any backseats so we all squished into the front and took off. We drove along the highway in silence for a while. I couldn't help but think about what I was doing. Could I really just go along with them? They were probably safe from me. The orders had only been to kill my friends back at the lab. So maybe... I didn't have to feel guilty.

VY2 turned off down an exit to a small deserted town. It looked like parts of it had been bombed and I shuddered, thinking my whole country must look like this. Center City sure did. VY2 pulled over at a gas station that was still intact and parked the truck in the back. This seemed to be a regular camp-out for them.

"I'll check it out first," VY2 said as he took one of the handguns and started for the back door of the gas station. The door was locked but he found an open window which he pulled himself through.

"Shouldn't we go with him?" I whispered, but IA just shook her head.

"It's better for us to be watching his back. The soldiers aren't going to be on the inside, they'll be out here," said IA, her voice sounded empty. I looked away from her sad eyes. It was stupid of me to feel like I was the only one who had ever lost someone. It felt like a wave of grief hit me and I shuddered, hunching forward. 

"Rin...?" asked IA, peering over at me, clearly worried. Painfully, I pushed down the sadness threatening to overwhelm me and straightened up, trying to smile at IA.

"I-I'm fine," I tried to reassure her. Piko just laughed.

[You'll never be fine again.]

Before IA could ask anything else VY2 was opening the back door for us.

"It's all clear, let's try to get some sleep while we can," VY2 said as he began taking out what looked like a sleeping bag from the back. IA and I went over to help him. He was about to hand me some blankets when he hesitated. The silence seemed to stretch as I nervously looked between the two of them.

"Your gun, Rin," IA said quietly. I looked down at my hand which still gripped Len's gun. I had completely forgotten I was still holding it and I was now aiming it at VY2.

[Some orders are still in effect, you know] Piko said, sending shivers up my spine.

"No, it... I'm so-rry I--" I tried to say.

[They may be recognized as enemies and then you'll be forced to kill them.]

"Rin, just put it down," IA pleaded as VY2 looked like he was trying to decide what to do.

[Right now your systems are still confused. And I can't control the virus, yet. Your systems are just drifting between your battle and normal mode, making the virus a lot slower to attack you and eventually shut you down for good. It is still programmed for that, though, so it will happen...]

I felt the gun slip through my fingers and clatter to the ground as VY2 rounded on IA. 

"What are you thinking, IA?! We can't keep a deranged robot around!" he yelled, but IA just grabbed my arm.

"Rin, what's wrong?" she asked as VY2 threw up his hands in frustration and quickly picked up my gun.

[You might kill them both if you stay with them. And you definitely will when I take over] Piko sneered. So that was his game. He didn't want me with IA and VY2. But that didn't change the truth ringing in my ears.

"I have a vi-virus," I choked out, "I might ki-ll you both." I was shaking. If I could cry, I'm sure I would've been doing it.

"Rin... we can help you," IA started, pulling my attention to her, "We'll just keep your gun away from you unless we're being attacked. We'll watch you, we'll--"

"That won't m-atter!" I cried, pulling away from her, "You don't think that I can still hurt you without a gun? Or th-at I can't take it from you?!"

"Hey," VY2 walked over to me, with a hard look on his face, "Now you think we can't take care of ourselves? You'd never be able to get through me." He was smiling now.

"It do-esn't ma-matter what you say. If I sta-y with you guys I'll end up killing you," I repeated, feeling terrible. I'd have to leave them now. Then I'll go back to... nothing.

"I beg to differ," VY2 said as he tossed my gun into the back of his truck. He turned to IA, "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course," she said, determined. VY2 nodded and turned back to me.

"If I can show you that I can stop you if you ever try to kill us, will you come with us?" asked VY2. I just stared at him, confused.

"I'll take your silence as agreement then," VY2 grinned as he suddenly jumped at me. I stumbled back, trying to get away. What was he? Crazy?

"No! Stop!" I yelled, but he just whipped his arm around, punching me in the face. I crashed to the ground as I felt something bubbling up inside of me.

The Virus!!

Mentally I was frozen with fear, but my body was not like-wise incapacitated. 

**THREAT**

And my body began to move. I tried to kick out at him, but he jumped away. Quickly I launched upwards, trying to catch his neck. He was waiting for it. VY2 sidestepped and grabbed my arm. I felt weightless for a moment before my back slammed into the ground. My body was up and moving before I even realized that he had flipped me. My fear was starting to turn to nervousness as he avoided every attack. Why should I be nervous? I wanted him to win, didn't I? But... if he killed me I'd be breaking my promise to Len...

[What matters more? Len's promise or these people's lives?] Piko asked me.

"I don't know..." I whispered as VY2 threw me onto the ground, but this time he pinned me there. I struggled until I felt his hand brush up against the shut down button on the back of my neck.

"See?" he said as he got off me. I just looked up at him in shock. "You're no danger to us. I'm more of a danger here," he laughed as IA walked over, looking relieved that the fight was over.

"He teaches kickboxing and he also took several forms of karate," IA explained. She kneeled down beside me, trying to help me up, which was difficult because I still didn't have control over my body. The fingers on my left hand kept opening and closing as I forced my body to respond. Slowly, I got up with IA's help.

"Welcome aboard," VY2 said as he turned back to the neglected sleeping bags.

"Why are you guys doing this for me?" I asked, at a complete loss. Piko didn't have anything to add either.

"The world is bad enough as it is without us adding to it," VY2 said over his shoulder.

"And what kind of world would it be if we don't help out those who need it?" IA added, smiling at me. I just smiled back at her. How could I possibly argue with that?

We went back to the task of getting ready for bed. They acted as if nothing had happened and I tried to do the same. I was still worried. Would VY2 really be able to stop me when the virus or Piko took over? For now, I would have to trust them, just as they were trusting me.

We settled down in what looked like a back office. The blankets and sleeping bags were scattered around to make room for all three of us. VY2 pulled the shades down on the window, making the room almost completely black, as IA walked over to me.

"I have this extra shirt, if you'd like it," she said, holding out a black long sleeve shirt. Thankfully, IA and I were the same height and build so it looked like it would fit.

"Ye-s, thank you! It's perfect," I told her and she handed over the shirt, "I'll just go change real quick." I left the room and found a bathroom connected to the gas station's convenient store. Cautiously, I gazed into the mirror. Even in the darkness I could see that my shirt was a complete disaster. There was so much blood on it... I quickly pulled it off and dropped it to the floor. With only one arm it took a lot longer to get IA's shirt on, but in the end I managed it. The sleeve of my right arm dangled and I could see part of the metal poking out of the black fabric.

"Shoot," I whispered. I had already ripped it. Ignoring that for now, I tried to comb through my hair with my fingers, but I only succeeded in pulling out my hair ribbon. My frustration increased as I tried unsuccessfully to put it back in. After a few minutes of fruitless attempts, I gave up and went back to VY2 and IA, stuffing my hair ribbon into my pocket.

"I'd stay up to watch for soldiers but I'd just fall asleep. Anyway, I think we'll be all right for the night," said VY2 as he locked the door behind me with the keys he had found in the gas station. He then plopped down beside IA, looking exhausted.

"Th-ank you," I said. I hoped they knew how much I meant it. IA just smiled and grabbed my hand, pulling me down beside her.

"We'll listen to your story, tomorrow. That is... if you'll tell us," said VY2. He was laying down now and I couldn't see his face. "We'll tell you ours as well."

"Yeah... yeah l-et's do that," I agreed. After all, I would probably spend the rest of my life with these two, until the virus took over. We should get to know each other.

"Okay, it's sleeping time!" said IA as she laid down and tossed a blanket over me. I followed suit and somehow managed to fall asleep quickly.

\----------------

I jerked awake. It was still night and both VY2 and IA were sleeping. I tried to calm myself. It seemed that Piko had found out how to give me nightmares. 

He just chuckled in response.

It was about Len, of course. I killed him again and again. His face filled with pain and accusation. Suddenly I remembered that one night Len came and slept with me because of a nightmare. It must have been about me dying and now I was having those same nightmares. Except that I couldn't crawl over to Len and reassure myself that he was okay. I would never see him again.

I started shaking with quiet sobs. A soft hand touched my hair. My eyes opened to see IA looking over at me. Her eyes looked so sad. Instinctively, I felt that she had lost someone close to her too. I let her put her arms around me while I ached for the arms I'd never feel again.

 

\-----------------------

????????????????

My eyes opened slowly to a bright room. Why was I here? I tried moving but immediately stopped from the pain that was coming from my shoulder and chest. That didn't make sense.

"Len?" asked a tentative voice.

"Rin?" I asked, but it was Miku who was looking down at me. Suddenly it all came rushing back to me. Rin being hacked and shooting at us... at me. I looked around wildly, but it was only Miku and me in the room. Miku shook her head sadly, there was blood in her hair.

"What happened to her? Where is she?" I yelled, panicking as I tried to get up and go to her. The pain almost floored me again.

"She's gone, Len. She ran away. We can't find her anywhere," Miku said as she gently shoved me back into the bed, avoiding the place I had been shot.

"What happened?" I asked, my hands shaking.

"She... she shot you and panicked. She was screaming and... she... Rin tore off her arm," said Miku as she shuddered, "After that she started running. Kaito went after her but he couldn't catch up. She's not even in the city anymore. That's the last we've heard of her, Len."

"We've got to after her! Why aren't you still out looking!?" I cried, grabbing Miku's arm.

"Len, you've been unconscious for several days. We've been looking. She's not coming back," said Miku, looking away from me. She sounded guilty.

"You don't want her to come back, do you?" I asked in shock, hoping it wasn't true.

"Somebody hacked her, Len. She was going to kill everyone. She almost killed you. And Gumi is... she's dead. We can't let something like this happen again," she said, trying to make me understand, but I just pushed her away.

"I can fix her," I said quietly.

"You don't know that, Len! If she comes back she'll try killing us again!" Miku yelled, jumping to her feet.

"You don't know that either!" I yelled back. I turned to look at her only to see that she was crying.

"She was my friend too, and I love her, but we need to survive." Miku turned away from me. "I have to go check on the others. Try to get some rest."

I silently watched as Miku quickly escaped the room and shut the door behind her. My heart was pounding in my ears as I slowly processed all that had happened. Taking a deep breath, I worked my way off the bed, ignoring the pain shooting through my arm and chest.

"I won't give up on you, Rin," I whispered as I made a couple of agonizing steps toward the door. It was time to find Meiko.


	13. Drifting Chapter Part 4

Morning came slowly. I let IA think that I had fallen asleep so that she could actually get some rest. She was a real mother hen, that girl, even though she was probably only a little bit older than me. I watched both of them sleep while I checked up on the damage to my system. Mostly the extra programs that Len put in and my memories were untouched. The heat scan sensors, though, were very glitchy. Sometimes VY2 and IA showed up on them and other times it completely shut down. I wouldn't be able to rely on that anymore.

The virus seemed to be attacking my control. When Piko and the virus had free access, they had completely controlled me, and now that the virus was slowed and Piko trapped, it was meticulously working on breaking my control again. That was why my voice kept skipping and repeating. I desperately hoped I wouldn't lose it altogether, but things weren't looking good. Even now, I could tell that my left hand was the next to go.

And I couldn't forget about the orders Piko said were still in effect. The biggest problem was that I didn't know what they were. Piko refused to tell me and when I continuously badgered him about it he threw some memories of Len dying at me. I gave up after that. The only one I did know about was the order that activated when VY2 attacked me: If I didn't fight back on my own I would be forced to.

Was there anyway to fix me? What could I even do to find out?

I couldn't answer those questions. Instead of sleeping I struggled with all these impossibilities and finally just gave up altogether. What would the point be? To miraculously stop the virus and go back to Miku and the rest? Would they even want me there? But if things were left as they are, eventually the virus or Piko would take over and then I'd have no choice but to go back and finish the job.

There might not even be any way to stop the virus and Piko. Then the only option would be to destroy myself so that I couldn't kill anyone else, but... could I break my promise to Len? Even though he was already dead? Wouldn't he rather I join him up in heaven?

[Who says you'll even go to heaven?] Piko sneered, starting me out of my reverie. 

"Time to get up already?" yawned IA, woken up by me moving so quickly. VY2 also sat up, looking around as if he didn't know where he was. I tried not to laugh as he forcefully rubbed at his eyes.

"We might as well," VY2 said as he began stretching. I watched as they both got up and started getting ready for the day. With a start I realized that I should be, too.

Jeez, I was so jumpy today.

I tried to comb through, or at least smooth down, my hair. Before long, IA took pity on me and after she brushed out her hair she brushed mine and helped me put my hair ribbon back in.

"There! You look great!" IA said with satisfaction as she rolled up the black sleeve on my right arm so that it was just below the jagged metal.

"Thank you," I replied, trying not to look as embarrassed as I felt. I tried to help them with packing up but I soon realized how much of a handicap one arm was going to be. VY2 ended up folding the blanket for me and put it on my left arm to carry out to the truck.

The sun was up but it was still cool outside. I looked out across the empty town as I put away the blanket. If anyone was still here, they weren't about to show themselves to us.

"I think that's everything," VY2 said, causing me to jump again. I hadn't even heard him come up behind me. He ignored me and instead glanced back at the gas station. IA came out, locking the door behind her. VY2 filled up the truck from the unattended gas tanks, making IA giggle as he acted like stealing gas made him nervous. I couldn't help but smile as they both started laughing. Just being with these two made me feel as if we didn't have to be afraid of anything. They were still laughing as we all slid into the truck, me in the middle again.

VY2 started the truck and off we went out of the town. They chatted while I worked up the courage to ask them a question that had been nagging at me as we packed this morning.

"Where are we going?" I asked during a lull in the conversation. When they remained quiet I quickly added, "O-or doing? What ex-actly do you guys... do?"

"Well," started VY2, "We've mostly been helping people survive the soldiers, like we did with you. We have guns and we know how to use them, unlike a lot of people. So, we decided to fight back until..." VY2 hesitated, but really, who wouldn't? What was there to do but fight back or die? "Well, until another country steps in or Exeria gets an organized resistance."

I nodded. I liked that he didn't have a "dying" option. A resistance actually sounded very appealing to me. It reminded me of my... well, Len's... no, Miku's group at the lab. If we could get all the survivors together and armed...

"But we do have a destination," added IA. I turned towards her to see a sad smile on her face. "We're going back to our hometown. VY2 and I, we're cousins. Our families both lived in the same town, but... we were the only ones to make it out. We were on the run for a long time, until we realized that it wasn't just our town and there was no 'safe place' left..." IA trailed off and tried to smile, to show that she was all right, but it slipped off her face. She instead looked out the window. VY2 made a move, as if to put a hand on IA's shoulder, but he realized I was in between them and he put his hand back on the steering wheel. 

"We're going back to see if anyone is still alive," VY2 stated, "When we left... I noticed weeks before anything happened that our parents were acting strange. They packed up this truck with most of the supplies you already saw. We learned how to use the guns my father owned. They started telling us that we had to be ready, but they didn't want to tell us why. I thought they were just being weird or were turning into those people who though the end of the world was near. But then... Lacov attacked," VY2 hesitated again. His eyes shifted to IA and then back to the road. He steeled himself and continued, "Most of our family was over at my parent's house. They wanted to talk about something important... I'm sure it must have been about Lacov. I don't know how they knew or maybe just suspected... maybe more of us would've known if we'd pay attention or noticed how the changes in Lacov were going to affect the world." I didn't add or contradict anything VY2 was saying. It was true. Before I died I hadn't paid any attention to politics or what was happening with other countries. I nodded, letting VY2 see I understood. He took up where he'd left off, "We all tried to escape, but they were on our streets, shooting into our houses, breaking into some of them. They were even recording it," I felt IA tremble beside me as I stared, agape, at VY2.

"Reco-rding it?!" I exclaimed.

"They probably wanted other countries to see how powerful they were. Show them what they would do to them," IA supplied this time, still looking out the window instead of at me.

"We tried to cross the border once. Escape to a different country, but they wouldn't let us. They were supposed to kill us, but the soldier there took pity on us and just turned us away. At least we found out a little bit of Lacov's plan. They used Exeria as an example. Basically destroying out country to show all the others what will happen to them if they try to interfere," VY2 explained, rubbing his eyes as if talking about all of this was giving him a headache. They both fell silent and I turned my attention to my left hand which was twitching. I was trying to decide how to ask what happened next when IA did it for me.

"You haven't finished the story yet," IA said. VY2 stopped rubbing his eyes and sighed.

"Our parents had us two and IA's two sisters run for the truck while they tried to hold off the soldiers. I had one of my dad's handguns and I killed a man that came after us. The air seemed filled with bullets. I picked up Stacey when she stumbled. I didn't even realize she had been shot and killed until we got to the truck. I shoved IA into the truck and was trying to get their older sister, Leah, in as well, but... she was hysterical about Stacey dying. I had... left Stacey on the ground and Leah was trying to get to her when another soldier came by... and killed her before I could kill him. My mother was screaming out the window for us to leave... I'm not really sure how we made it out of there in one piece. Somehow we made it to our family's cabin and we found more supplies there. It was the only place I could think of and it turned out to be where our parents were expecting us to go," VY2 took a deep breath, "So, now we're going back, hoping that... some of our family might be alive there."

IA was crying; VY2 was just grinding his teeth. Maybe trying to stop himself from crying. I awkwardly put my left arm around IA and she gratefully put her arms around me. I couldn't help but remember when Meiko and I had gone alone to our house. It was something we had to see for ourselves, to make sure. Seeing the broken forms of our parents made what had happened so much more real than anything else had. I couldn't stop myself from remembering how Len waited nervously back at the lab for us to return and how after one look at my face had him holding me and kissing my eyes that couldn't cry. I had to force myself not to cringe while IA was clinging to me.

[I don't understand...] I heard Piko whisper in the back of my mind, a weariness filled his voice that I've never heard from him before. Suddenly, I realized not once had Piko interrupted. Had he been listening, too? 

He didn't bother to answer as I turned my attention back to VY2 and IA.

"Thank you, g-uys, for telling me," I started as IA tried to wipe away her tears, "Now, I-I'll tell you mine." IA sat up, letting me put my arm back down and smiled encouragingly at me. VY2 even patted my shoulder. Feeling stronger, I started my story with the day I died.


	14. Drifting Chapter Part 5

-Len-

I angrily stared up at the ceiling, only one thing on my mind. Rin, Rin, Rin. Where was she? Was she all right? What was the virus doing to her? Was it still forcing her to kill people?

And most importantly, how was I going to help her?

I wasn't sure how long it was going to take for me to fully recover. So far, I'd only been able to get down one hallway, searching for Meiko, before I was tired out. It didn't take long for Kaito to find me and return me back to my room. I couldn't help but wonder if Miku had sent him to find me on purpose. There was no way I could ask him to bring Meiko to me without raising suspicions. Especially, since he was the one who had gone after Rin when she ran. Had he tried to kill her?

I thumped my uninjured arm against the makeshift bed. There were too many things I didn't know. I'd only seen Miku and Kaito since I'd woken up yesterday. Somehow I was going to have to get Meiko in here. She was the only one I could trust right now. As far as I knew, everyone at the lab wanted Rin gone or dead. But I did know Meiko. And I knew she'd feel the same way I did.

I spent a good part of the morning worrying and trying to come up with something. I prayed that Rin, wherever she was, was all right, but I couldn't stop imagining all the things that could've happened to her. The door to my room opening broke through my thoughts. I started, attempting to sit up, but the pain lancing through my chest and arms made me fall back on the pillow. 

"You shouldn't try to move so much; you're still healing," Kiyoteru pushed the door open the rest of the way, carrying what looked like my breakfast. Kiyoteru was one of the only adults that had decided to stay with our group when we had rescued him. Thankfully, he was a skilled doctor and didn't mind taking orders from people younger than him.

"I'm restless," I muttered as he gently set down the tray and helped me sit up. Sometimes I really marveled at how smoothly, almost gracefully, Kiyoteru moved. He also treated everything carefully, as if he was afraid of breaking it. I shook my head, wondering why I was even thinking about it. Sure, I was curious, but I had to think of a way to help Rin now!

"Eat your breakfast with energy then. Maybe some of your restlessness will go away," Kiyoteru replied, setting my tray of food on my lap. I eyed Kiyoteru, trying to decide if he was joking or not. I could never really tell.

"So... what's been happening?" I asked cautiously as I started to eat some oatmeal. Kiyoteru turned a piercing gaze at me, adjusting his glasses as if to read me better. I tried not to look nervous while I ate. Did Miku tell him something? Tell him not to tell me something? Did she use excuses? Or did she guess? Or did Kiyoteru guess?

Too many damn questions.

"Well," started Kiyoteru, looking away from me, "Most everyone is distraught. And confused, for that matter. They aren't sure what to think. Miku is planning to speak to everyone today, to explain things." 

I distractedly chewed, staring at the bowl. What was Miku going to say to them?

"When is she doing that?" I questioned, trying not to sound as curious as I was.

"Right now," said Kiyoteru, making me jump.

"Wha- now?" I half-yelled. Miku hadn't said anything to me or even hinted about what she was doing. Weren't we leading this group together? I had no idea what she'd say to them and I was terrified. Terrified because I didn't know if she was turning more people against Rin.

"Yes, now," Kiyoteru answered while brushing a hand through his brown hair. When I didn't say anything he continued on, "She didn't say anything to you, did she."

It wasn't a question.

"No, she didn't," I said, taking another couple bites of oatmeal.

"I've been noticing some things," started Kiyoteru. I jerked and looked up at him. He was staring hard at me, watching my expression. I tried to nonchalantly look down, unsure what he saw. "I can guess what Miku is going to say to them," Kiyoteru paused, but I stayed quiet. Why was he telling me this? Did Miku send him to try and figure out what I was going to try and do?

Suddenly, Kiyoteru leaned forward, grabbing my arm, "What are you going to do about Rin?"

I froze, trying to come up with something to say, "Well, she tried to kill us all, didn't she?" I mumbled, my attempt to get out of answering making me cringe inside.

"Are you abandoning her?" Kiyoteru asked harshly, giving my arm a shake. That brought my head around. Now we were both staring each other down.

"Who are you to judge me?" I said, my anger rising. I _love_ Rin! I would never abandon her!

"Then you're not the man I thought you were."

I could feel my frustration snap. My worries and anger boiled over and I didn't bother to stop myself from talking. Let _everyone_ know then! To _hell_ with it!

"I love Rin! How _dare_ you think that I'd ever leave her? I don't care what it takes or how long, I'll get to her and fix her so she won't ever have to be afraid again. And if we can't come back here we'll go someplace else! I will never leave her!" I yelled at Kiyoteru, throwing off his hand and breathing hard once I'd finished. Kiyoteru stood back on his heels, a small smile on his face.

"Well, good. I was hoping you'd feel that way," he said. 

I could feel my mouth hanging open.

"What-?"

"I owe Rin. She was the one who found us and she was very kind to Teresa and me. Plus, I really like her," Kiyoteru talked over me. Rin had helped Kiyoteru and Teresa when she was out scouting once. They were running from a hospital that the soldiers found them in, when they ran into Rin. She got them back to the lab, but Teresa died two days after they came. She'd been a patient of Kiyoteru's. All this information ran through my head as I tried to stop being astonished.

"You'll help me?" I asked, still stunned at what I was hearing.

"Of course. We'll have to see who else will help, but after Miku's announcement, I'm not sure how many that will be," Kiyoteru mused, looking toward the door as if he expected Miku to waltz right in bringing the bad news.

"For now I know we can trust Meiko and you two may be all we need to help Rin," I said, feeling lighter all of a sudden.

"Ah, good," Kiyoteru said, though what he was referring to I wasn't sure, "I'll go get Meiko. They'll probably be leaving now and we can find out what Miku said."

"Uh, yeah," I said, still a little out of it.

"Good thing I waited until everyone wasn't prowling around your doorway. I was sure you'd start yelling," Kiyoteru flashed a smile at me, almost making me drop my spoon. Kiyoteru smiling? I'd never seen him like this before, but... I'd never really spent that much time with him. Did Rin know him like this?

"Make sure to eat that oatmeal," Kiyoteru said as he shut the door behind him. I did as I was told and ate the rest of my oatmeal. We couldn't be wasting food, anyway. I didn't have to wait long before Kiyoteru was back. He stayed by the doorway, the door open so that he could barely see through.

"Is it still going on?" I asked, wondering why Meiko wasn't there.

"No, it's over. Meiko's having some difficulty getting here without anyone seeing her. Miku has been suspicious of her, it seems," he replied. Suddenly, he opened up the door letting in a very pale Meiko. My eyes went to her leg briefly. It had healed better than we expected it to, but she still had some trouble with it. At least she was alive. We didn't have Kiyoteru then who actually knew what he was doing.

"What's wrong?" I asked Meiko. I didn't think it was her leg that made her so pale. Meiko shook her head and crossed the floor to my bedside. She heavily sat down on it, jostling me and making my wounds twinge painfully. Meiko grimaced, realizing she hurt me.

"Sorry, Len," Meiko said, carefully putting her arm around my shoulders and her bad leg up on the bed. "It's not good," she sighed, giving my shoulder a light squeeze. I looked up at her. She looked worried.

"What did she say?" I asked, guessing what the "not good" was about. Meiko sighed again before starting.

"Miku explained what happened with Rin, that she got a virus and was... trying to kill us all," Meiko paused as I nodded at her. I expected Miku at least to tell them that, but... what else had she said to make Meiko look so worried? Kiyoteru just watched us, waiting to hear the rest Meiko had to say. "Then... then she told us that there was no hope for Rin. That while she wasn't in the city now it didn't mean she might not come back and try to kill us again. Miku also said that there was no way to stop the virus and... we should just think of her as a robot. And... that the Rin we knew was dead..." Meiko trailed off and looked nervously down at me. She must have seen my hands curl into fists and that my fingernails were drawing blood.

"Was there more?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes... Miku told us that we had to kill Rin, if we saw her again, before she could come back and get the rest of us at the lab and even the whole city," Meiko finished, looking as angry as me. Kiyoteru kept his face blank as he walked over to me and started prying my hands a part.

"That isn't going to help anything or help Rin," Kiyoteru admonished me.

"You're right," I agreed. I felt cold and, even though I was looking straight ahead, all I could see was Rin's face, smiling at me. "But what can I even do? How can I even begin to come up with an anti-virus to help Rin when I know nothing about it?" I asked desperately, knowing fully well that Meiko and Kiyoteru wouldn't be able to help me with that.

"Start with how it affected Rin. What her symptoms were," answered Kiyoteru, "That's how doctors fix their patients, by going by their symptoms."

"And we'll both be here helping, Len. We'll get her back safe and sound," Meiko added, squeezing my shoulder again.

I looked at both of them, a slow smile starting on my face. Maybe this wasn't as hopeless as I first thought. An idea was starting to form in my mind.

"Rin tore off her arm, correct?" I questioned them. They both nodded. "Where is it? Is it still in the lab?"

"I'll look for it," Meiko said, smiling fiercely. "You've got a plan. I can tell by the look on your face," she said as she stood up.

"Better get going in case Miku comes back," I told her, fearing that any moment Miku would come in and put a stop to our plans. Meiko just smiled at me.

"You're a good kid, Len. I know you'll be able to help Rin," she bent down and kissed me on the top of my head before she took off out of the room.

"Try to get some rest while you are forming your plan. I'm going to leave before Miku starts getting suspicious of _me_ as well," he looked me over then picked up my empty bowl. "You're looking better but please stay in bed. I'll come back tonight to hear your plan and I'll try to bring Meiko, but I'm not promising anything."

"Thanks, Kiyoteru. And I will," I told him already feeling sleepy. Kiyoteru nodded, smiling slightly, and then he too disappeared. I tried to stay awake and keep thinking through my plan, but I was exhausted. Slowly I fell asleep, my throbbing wounds reminding me that I could've really died just a few days ago. As I finally fell asleep, I imagined Rin was holding my hand.


	15. Drifting Chapter Part 6

-Len-

I woke up very slowly, still half dreaming. It was night, I could tell that much, but I didn’t want to wake up yet. In my dream, Rin was there. She was holding my hand and crying. Rin kept trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. My eyes opened, unwillingly. I sighed, I could still feel Rin’s hand in mine... Wait a minute, there really was a hand in mine! Confused, I looked over to see someone with long teal hair...

I gasped and ripped my hand away from Miku as I sat up, hunching over in pain. She jerked awake and looked at me in concern.

“I’m sorry! Are you all right, Len?” she asked, grabbing my shoulder. I tried not to shake her off again.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. My voice must have been colder than I thought, because she removed her hand slowly.

“I was just watching over you, making sure that you were all right,” Miku said, smiling uncertainly. I turned my gaze to my hands folded on my lap. I couldn’t look at Miku without showing her how angry I was.

“I’m fine,” I said through my teeth. Miku sat back with a “hmph!” and stared at me in the dark.

“I talked with the others today,” Miku began and I tried to keep myself from looking over at her in surprise. Was she going to tell me herself? Was I going to have to hear her call Rin “dead?” “I explained to them what happened. Len... you have to give up on her.”

“Why?” I yelled, frustrated at losing my temper. But then again, I was unused to having to fight against my friends, “Because if she comes back all those people who she called friends are going to kill her?” Miku blanched.

“Who told you?” she questioned, standing up and shoving the chair back.

“It doesn’t matter! How could you tell them that without talking to me first? Aren’t we leading them together, Miku?” I burst out, grudgingly looking up at her. Miku smiled. My frustration faltered a bit at the coldness she seemed to be emitting.

“No, we’re not. I’m the only leader now. You are obviously too overcome by grief for what Rin did and your pain has... well, let’s say addled you. You’re in no condition to lead so I have taken over the responsibility,” Miku ended. I was so shocked I forgot to interrupt.

“What the hell, Miku!?” I spluttered as she stood up.

“That’s what I’ll tell anyone who comes asking. You need to give up on Rin. Forget about her. She’ll just kill us when she comes back and I’m not going to take that risk. Give up and I won’t say you’re mentally unstable and we can lead together again,” Miku said. It almost sounded like she was pleading. 

I knew what I should say. I should tell Miku that I will forget about Rin. That way I wouldn’t have her watching my every move, but... I couldn’t say it. Rin had always told me I was a terrible liar until I gave it up all together.

“I will not,” I said, emphasizing each word. I couldn’t betray Rin, even to make it easier for me. I wouldn’t let Miku stop me. She would only be a hindrance.

“Fine,” she said, apparently too exhausted to say anything else. Stiffly, she walked away and closed the door behind her. She never looked back.

I slumped back on the pillows, feeling a headache coming on. Why was Miku acting like this? I shook my head and then rubbed my forehead. Right now, it didn’t matter. Right now, I had to concentrate on helping Rin, but I couldn’t stop my thoughts from returning to Miku. I hated her. She would have Rin killed and I would not let that happen. I also sympathized with her. She was probably doing this mostly because of the threat. That Rin would come back and kill the rest of us. Logically, it made sense. We value more lives over one. If it hadn’t been Rin, would I have done the same thing? 

It was frustrating. Utterly frustrating. I had to act against Miku. I wished I could just hate her. It would make things so much easier, but when had life ever been easy? Especially now?

I grounded my teeth thinking about it for a few minutes before I realized I was waiting to see if either Kiyoteru or Meiko would come in. Slowly, I rubbed my eyes. It was ridiculous to think they could put everything aside just for me, for Rin, as if we didn’t have to worry about getting discovered by the soldiers and probably killed. But it was heard to keep in mind when I could only think of Rin.

I let myself close my eyes and try to relax. I was going to have to be patient.

\--------------------

 

-Rin- (a few days later)

 

VY2 decided that we should camp in the woods this time. He had parked the truck under the trees and moved the supplies inside. IA was pulling out the sleeping bags and spreading them on the truck bed. I watched, still adjusting to life with one arm.

I had told them my whole story, but I left out one thing: Piko. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them I had him stuck in my head, that he could talk to me, and that he could mess around with my systems. Everything else seemed crazy enough.

[You just don’t want them to leave you. They’d really start questioning your control on things] Piko laughed.

Speak of the devil.

[Not now, Piko. I don’t have time,] I thought. A weariness was settling on me earlier than usual. Was I charging properly?

[Oh, now you don’t have time for me? Maybe it’s not too late to make them think you’re crazy...]

My eyes widened and I didn’t have long to wonder what he’d do.

He brought up the memory. VY2 and IA disappeared from my view to be replaced by Len’s last gasp of air. The gun felt hot in the hand I knew didn’t exist anymore, but what I knew and didn’t know ceased to matter. It felt like a wound in my chest was torn open again as I watched Len die. I thought as time went on it wouldn’t affect me like this, but there is a difference between remembering it and experiencing it as if it was really happening all over. A distinct part of my mind was wondering how Piko had managed it. Was he already becoming more powerful? How much time did I even have left?

The memory didn’t have time for the rational part of my mind. Already Len’s body thudded against the ground and I was reliving the panic. Then I was screaming and trying to rip off my right arm...

“Rin!” 

I could hear the crunching metal...

“Rin...! Rin, Rin!”

But someone was laughing this time... or were they calling my name...?

“Rin! Rin!”

My eyes snapped open. I hadn’t even realized they were closed. I choked on my scream and tried to stop my left arm from grasping the air where my right used to be.

“Rin...? Rin, are you all right?” IA asked, her small hands on each side of my face. My head was thrown back and I couldn’t move, I couldn’t look at them. I felt frozen and I wondered why Piko wasn’t trying to take advantage of that, or had he already done enough damage?

“Rin, what’s wrong? What happened?” VY2 said, his hands were pushing down on my shoulders. He sounded concerned. For me or for IA...?

Suddenly I felt freed of the invisible bonds of the virus. My knees buckled and VY2 caught me around the waist before I crashed onto the ground. He slowly lowered me to the ground and braced his arm against my back. IA followed us and kneeled in front of me. Finally, I looked at them. IA was worried out of her mind. She was searching my face, as if it held the answer of how to fix me. I had to look up to see VY2. His eyes were wide and he was shaking. I quickly looked away. I didn’t want to think about the horrible things my breakdown had reminded VY2 of.

“Rin... Rin what happened?” IA asked, her voice trembling. She reached out for my hand, trying to comfort me.

“I-I...” I tried to start, but a sob interrupted me and all of a sudden I was crying. Or as close to crying as I could get. I closed my eyes. I couldn’t look at them anymore. I was hurting them and I was dying on the inside.

Suddenly, IA threw her arms around me and pulled me close.

“Shh...shh.. it’s going to be okay,” IA said calmingly as she rubbed my back. After a moment, even VY2 leaned down, circling the both of us.

“It was about Len, wasn’t it?” he asked quietly. I only nodded.

No one dared mention the virus.


	16. Drifting Chapter Part 7

-Len-

Somehow I had fallen back asleep. By the time I opened my eyes, my breakfast was already by my bedside and cold. Quickly I choked it down, barely paying attention to the oatmeal I was swallowing. As soon as I finished it I regretted eating it so quickly. Now I was going to have to wait for someone to show up.

Distractedly, I pulled my hair back before realizing I didn’t have a hair tie. With a sigh, I let my hair fall back and carefully sat back against the pillow. The gunshot wound was aching dully as I stared up at the ceiling. Slowly I laid my hand against the bandages, feeling my chest rise and fall. I needed to get better quickly if I wanted to get to Rin. I needed to throw off these chains.

The door creaked open. This time I forced myself not to jerk up to see who it was. I carefully pushed myself up before I felt small hands trying to help me. It was Iroha. She looked up at me through her pink hair.

“Thanks, Iroha,” I said, smiling at her.

“How are you doing? Are you feeling better? They finally let me come see you,” she said all in one breath, leaning over the bed.

“Yeah, I’m feeling better. It still hurts, but Kiyoteru’s a good doctor. He’ll fix me up,” I said, reassuringly. Iroha sighed with relief.

“And... um...” she started. I waited but she just looked away. I tried not to clench my hand as I realized where this was going.

“Len... Rin killed Gumi, didn’t she?” asked Iroha. She still kept her eyes down and couldn’t seem to bring herself to look at me. My throat felt tight. I didn’t want to say it.

“Yes, she did.”

“And is she going to come back and kill us?”

This time she looked up at me, there were tears in her eyes and her hands were wringing the sheets. I could see the desperation in her eyes. She didn’t want it to be true, that the girl who had saved her was going to come back and destroy the safe haven we had all created.

“No,” I said, putting my hands on Iroha’s shoulders, “She won’t. I’m going to fix her, all right? I’m going to go out and find her and the next time you’ll see her, she’ll be herself again.”

“Promise me, Len?” she asked, before burying her head into my chest. I tried not to cringe as her head rested against my wound.

“I promise,” I said. We stayed like that for a moment before Iroha pushed away. She quickly wiped away her tears and looked up at me, smiling.

“Okay, Iroha. Time’s up.”

I froze. Iroha looked over nervously then back to me. She squeezed my hand one last time before she scurried out of the room. Filled with dread, I turned to see that it was Miku standing in the doorway. Her arms were crossed and she was giving me a smug look. Had she heard everything that I told Iroha? She must’ve heard some of it at least... What was I going to do? What was she going to do?

“Kiyoteru is coming to check on you now,” said Miku, tossing her hair over her shoulder. I didn’t answer. I had an overwhelming urge to throw her out of the room and slam the door on her face, but I settled for glaring at her. Miku didn’t stand down either.

Abruptly, Kiyoteru appeared in the doorway, looking extremely uncomfortable as he took in the scene.

“Excuse me, Miku,” he said trying to brush past Miku. Finally, she looked away and let him through.

“Make it quick. When you’re done I’ll need you in the big group room,” Miku said, commandingly. She gave Kiyoteru a hard look, but he responded with a curt nod and expressionless face. Miku seemed satisfied as she left the room and closed the door with a quick snap.

“All right, let’s see how that wound is holding up,” Kiyoteru began conversationally as he walked over.

“Does she suspect you already?” I said under my breath. Kiyoteru gently pushed me down and started examining me.

“She’s just being careful. She doesn’t want anyone to be alone with you too long,” Kiyoteru replied, also keeping his voice low, “I was going to take you to your workshop, Meiko found Rin’s arm and we hid it there, but Miku is planning something. Hopefully, it’s another raid or at least something to get her out of the lab for awhile. If she does then we’ll take you there.” Kiyoteru helped me up and said in a louder voice, “We should change these bandages soon, but you’re looking better already.”

“Wait, what exactly is the... diagnosis? I was close to dying, wasn’t I?” I asked quickly before I could forget again. It hadn’t seemed like an important question before.

“Mostly, you were extremely lucky. The bullet somehow managed to miss all of your vital organs but it did crack a rib on the way. You almost died of blood loss, if Miku hadn’t rushed over to stop the bleeding when she did, you would’ve been dead right then and there,” Kiyoteru rattled off and I tried to take in this new information. Miku was the one who kept me alive. No matter how I tried I just couldn’t put this new Miku into a box. She wouldn’t go neatly into “friend” or “enemy.” Really it was only giving me a headache. 

“...And we don’t really have blood on hand anymore, considering we’re not a hospital and we’re in a state of war, so you had to get by with what you had left. So that is why you need to actually rest and eat, got it?” Kiyoteru ended, shaking his finger at me.

“I understand completely,” I said wearily. I didn’t rest easily, especially when I had work to do, but it was necessary. I knew how weak I was. 

“All right, I better go before she get’s suspicious. And don’t worry, we’ll get the chance we need. Just rest,” Kiyoteru said, patting me on the shoulder.

“Thank you, Kiyoteru,” I said, hoping he knew I meant it for more than just the explanation. Kiyoteru looked at me, confused for a moment before his expression softened.

“You’re welcome,” he said as he closed the door behind him. I let him leave with a sigh and settled back on the pillows to try and sleep.

 

-Meiko-

 

I shifted from foot to foot as the rest of the group filed in. Kaito was nowhere to be seen, the same went for Miku. I swore to myself. They were probably together again, doing God knows what. Iroha grabbed my hand and I stopped fidgeting to look down at her and smile.

“Sorry, I’m just worried,” I breathed out.

“Worried about what?” Iroha asked, frowning, but before I could answer Miku walked in and stood in front of the group with Kaito in tow. I scowled, throughly pissed.

“Thanks everyone for coming. I know it’s been very chaotic lately, but hopefully we’ll be able to get things back into order,” Miku started, smiling ridiculously, as if she had some magical answer for everyone’s problems, “Some bad news first though. It seems Len’s injuries were more severe than we first thought--”

“Wait, what’s happened?”

“Did something go wrong?”

A few of them burst out, interrupting Miku. Some of them even turned on Kiyoteru, who had just walked in from checking in on Len. The closest was SeeU, long curly blonde hair swinging as she asked Kiyoteru if Len was all right. I made a move to go over and help him but he just shook his head.

“Listen to what Miku has to say,” he answered them. I spun around just in time to catch Miku’s worried look disappear to one of satisfaction. I ground my teeth but otherwise did nothing. We needed secrecy if we were going to help Rin.

“ _Thank you_ , Kiyoteru. Len is physically fine but mentally there is more damage than we anticipated,” Miku continued on as everyone lapped up what Miku was saying. “He’s very emotionally unstable. The best thing we can do for him is to give him space. As of now, Kaito and I will be leading this group together until Len has fully recovered.”

I froze, staring at Kaito. _He_ was leading the group with Miku?! I felt like I didn’t even know him anymore. Why, why was he doing this? How much did Miku tell him about this plot she was constructing?

And why was he not telling _me_ any of this?

Even now he refused to look at me and just watched the group with a serious expression. It was just so strange. Why wasn’t he smiling with that idiotic grin? Why was he standing next to Miku and not me?!

Everyone else took the information differently. There was a swell of conversation that sounded... concerned. Though about what I couldn’t tell and at the moment, didn’t care a bit about it.

“The main thing I wanted to talk to you all about is a new mission, a big mission,” Miku said, capturing everyone’s attention again. “Since Exeria was attacked we’ve tried to survive. We’ve survived and picked off those soldiers one by one. And we’ve found out, that although other countries have abandoned us, ours has not. We’re not fighting this alone. And if we ever want to have normal lives again, we’re going to have to go a step further. We will have to go to all the groups in the city and contact those outside of it, to bring us all together and drive those Lacov bastards out of our country once and for all!”

The group cheered with the prospect of their world returning to normal. I was mostly just shocked and did nothing. _This_ was what Miku had been planning?!

“We’ll double our raids, steal as much equipment as we can. We’ve seen how nervous the soldiers are, they can’t find us and they can’t kill us, but we continue to kill them. So, before Lacov sends more soldiers, it’ll be too late,” Miku concluded, a fierce light in her eyes.

“We’ll show ‘em!”

“We’ll get them out of our country once and for all!”

“When do we start!”

Everyone chatted excitedly, Len momentarily forgotten. I desperately wanted to look back and see what Kiyoteru thought, but even the slightest glance could make Miku suspicious. Iroha tugged at my arm, bringing me back into the present.

“Meiko... people are going to die,” Iroha whispered, looking up at me with sad eyes. I didn’t know what to say so instead I picked her up, ignoring the twinge in my leg, as I settled her on my hip. She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, her face buried in my shoulder so that all I could see was her pink hair.

She was right, thought it seemed like no one else was thinking about it at the moment. What this entailed was completely different from our past missions. Sure, some times we weren’t careful enough and someone died, but this wasn’t a stealth mission. This was a war. If we went through with it, half--maybe everyone--in this room would die. This was completely idiotic! None of the groups would agree to this, it was a suicide mission. Miku would lead all of these children to their deaths.

“First things first, we need to start contacting the other groups here. I need a group for going with me and Kaito later today. We’ll be gone for a couple of days before we start on the second part of the plan. Do I have any volunteers?” Miku asked, searching the room.

Oliver, a blonde haired boy who’d just joined the group recently, raised his hand, as did SeeU. For a second I hesitated, then I swore and stuck my hand in the air. Miku eyed me with a mixture of surprise and suspicion before looking away. Kaito still refused to look in my direction.

“Okay, Meiko, SeeU, and Oliver, come with us and you’ll get outfitted with weapons and supplies. Now for the rest of you. While we’re gone I’ll need some of you to...” Miku began describing a food raid for some people to go on but I stopped listening. My thoughts raced, wondering how on earth I could stop this from happening, but Miku had offered them hope, a way out of this hell. And I didn’t have anything else to offer. Iroha looked at me worriedly as I set her back down and kneeled next to her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be safe. We haven’t started anything yet,” I was trying to sound confident, but I was too on edge and Iroha could tell. She always could.

“Okay,” she said, playing along; pretending that my promise could actually make sure I came back. She locked her pinky finger with mine and we shook it once.


	17. Drifting Chapter Part 8

-Meiko-

Miku finished speaking and the crowd dispersed. Iroha gave me a quick hug and took off before I could say another word. Finally I had a chance to look at Kiyoteru. He had his arms crossed and kept his emotions hidden behind his glasses, but he looked as tense as I felt. Kiyoteru caught my glance and nodded slightly.

Briefly, I felt relieved. I had been worried that going with Miku wasn’t the best choice when we were supposed to be helping Len, but it seems Kiyoteru understood, or at least guessed, my reasoning.

Miku brushed by with Kaito and the others and I hurriedly joined them. SeeU smiled at me. She wore a pair of robotic cat ears on the top of her head. When I had first asked about them she told me they enhanced her hearing. She had made them before Lacov attacked because she was slowly becoming deaf, but she found out they had other uses, like being able to hear soldiers sneaking up on her. SeeU had saved us many times with them. They worked almost as well as Rin’s sensors and usually we’d make sure anyone going out on raids either had Rin or SeeU on their team. Now there was only SeeU though...

Oliver I didn’t know as well as SeeU. He had come to us only a day or two after we lost Rin. I’d never seen him without his worn sailor hat covering his fluffy blonde hair or the bandages covering his left eye. Kiyoteru had wanted to look at it but Oliver had brushed him off, saying something like it was an old wound he didn’t need to worry about. I assumed he probably had some scars he didn’t like other people to see. He seemed a bit young to be wanting to go on raid, he was shorter than both Miku and SeeU, but everyone here was young. It really was a society of kids. If he wanted to help, he could, no matter how much I wanted to send him back with Iroha. 

“Okay, here we are,” Miku said as she led us into the weapons room. It felt kind of empty without Len tinkering on something in here. “Take whatever weapons you’ll be comfortable with. Also make sure to fill these packs with some food and a few essentials,” Miku said as she handed the three of us some backpacks.

“Do you know how to use a gun?” she asked Oliver.

“Yes I do and I can use anything you got,” he said, standing up straighter. Miku nodded and turned to SeeU.

“And, SeeU, did you make any more hearing devices?”

“Yeah, I reworked some headphones I got from a raid and they work as good as mine. There’s five done at the moment,” SeeU answered, tapping her own cat ears for emphasis.

“Would you mind getting a pair for each of us before we leave?” asked Miku as she absentmindedly tried to pull a knot out of her long hair. I felt like giving that pig tail a hard yank.

“I’ll make sure to bring them.”

“All right go get what you need, we’ll be leaving soon. There’s a lot of work to be done,” Miku said as she watched SeeU and Oliver pick the weapons that they wanted. I took a handgun and a rifle. They had my signature red details on them. I sighed, it reminded me of Len and Rin and how it used to be. After me, Kaito, and Iroha had joined, Len had made all of us special weapons like he had for Rin, Miku, and himself. After that there just wasn’t any time for it. I noticed one of Rin’s handguns and I grabbed that up as well. I’d fight with my sister’s weapon. I groaned inwardly. If I was going to spout poetry I needed a beer. 

SeeU and Oliver started to leave when SeeU paused in the doorway, seeing that I hadn’t moved. Miku and Kaito also noticed. Kaito looking appropriately nervous.

“Are you coming, Meiko?” SeeU asked, her eyes shifting between me and them, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

“Yes, of course. I just wanted to talk to Kaito, _if you don’t mind, Miku_?” I said sweetly, unnerving all of them.

“Of course not,” Miku shrugged, as if it was no concern to her, as she left the room with SeeU and Oliver. The door shut behind us, leaving Kaito and I alone in the room.

“W-well, I don’t really have... much time. Me and Miku still have to--argh!” Kaito began to say before I interrupted him with my fist. He crashed to the floor, his hand covering his throbbing cheek. 

“That’s enough!” I yelled, my clenched hands shaking. He looked stunned. Kaito was used to me hitting him, but probably not that hard.

“Meiko... I--” he started, but I advanced towards him and he quickly shut his mouth.

“No! Unless you are going to... explain what the hell is going on, Kaito, you better not say a word,” I spat out at him, trying not to yell again in case anyone was listening. “Where have you been? Why are you avoiding me?” I was losing steam, I could tell I was on the verge of tears. I would not let him see me cry.

“Meiko... just forget about it... for now... you wouldn’t understand...” he said as he got back on his feet, barely able to look me in the eyes.

“I wouldn’t _understand?!_ After everything we’ve been through together... I thought... I thought that we’d...” I couldn’t finish the sentence so I let it hang in the air. We stood there and for a moment I saw that goofy Kaito I’d always been in love with. He reached out toward me as if he was going to take me in his arms like he used to, but that Kaito quickly disappeared behind a seriousness I was beginning to hate.

“I’ve got to go... when this is all over we’ll... talk, all right?” he asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer. Instead Kaito brushed by me and left the room.

It took me a moment to realize there were hot tears slipping down my face. Swearing, I started wiping them away with the back of my hands, desperately hoping that Kaito had been out of the room before I started crying.

“That damn idiot...”

 

-Len-

 

“So, I’m currently ‘emotionally unstable?’” I asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

“Yes, but this is both good news and bad news,” answered Kiyoteru. He was currently sitting in a chair next to my bed. I tried not to think about how the gunshot wound looked like when Kiyoteru changed the bandages. It looked worse than last time and I thought that Kiyoteru had grimaced when he saw it, but he hadn’t said anything and I didn’t ask.

“Okay, bad news, everyone thinks I’m crazy, and good news...”

“Good news, no one will bother you while we try to help Rin,” supplied Kiyoteru.

“Also, me, Miku and some others are leaving to convince the other groups to attack Lacov, in one big strike,” added Meiko, who was sitting at the end of my bed. Her arms were crossed and she’d barely looked or talked to us since she’d gotten here.

“What?!” I yelped. They were... going to...

“Indeed. That would probably be the ‘badder news,’” Kiyoteru said, taking off his glasses and rubbing his forehead.

I tried to wrap my mind around it. It was outrageous! Just because we were surviving didn’t mean that we could possibly fight and kick an entire army out of Exeria.

“What could she possibly be thinking!?” Meiko stamped to her feet, making me flinch.

“She’s probably not thinking,” Kiyoteru said, unshaken by Meiko’s outburst.

“None of the other groups will agree to this,” I said, but it sounded like a question.

No one answered. We sat there in silence. Meiko slowly sat back down on the bed with her back turned to us, but I could see her hands shaking.

“I think for now we better put it aside. There’s nothing we can say to sway the rest of them, especially with the chance to return to a normal life,” Kiyoteru said matter-of-factly as he replaced his glasses onto the bridge of his nose so carefully that it looked like he expected them to break under his fingers.

“So now we’ve got the opportunity to work in peace. No one will be looking for you and there will be no Miku trying to figure out what you’re planning,” Kiyoteru added, trying to turn the conversation around. I realized I’d been holding my breath and quickly let it out.

“But... I’m sure Miku will have _somebody_ here checking in on me to make sure I stay in this room,” I said, but Kiyoteru was already shaking his head.

“Actually you don’t have to worry because Miku asked me to do that,” Kiyoteru said, slightly smiling now as he told us this new information. Even Meiko looked around, surprised.

“She asked you? But what did she say?” asked Meiko.

“Well, she knew she wasn’t going to fool me with the emotional instability lie, so she talked to me and now she thinks I’m on her side,” he said, obviously amused by the entire situation.

“Which means what, exactly?” I said, leaning towards Kiyoteru.

“It means she thinks that I agree with Rin being a danger to everyone and one way to prevent that is by keeping you out of trouble,” Kiyoteru said as he pushed me back on to the pillows. 

“I’m a very convincing actor,” Kiyoteru added when he saw the doubtful looks on Meiko’s face and mine.

“All right, I trust you know what you’re doing,” I agreed and Kiyoteru just nodded.

“Well... I better get going. Miku is going to be expecting us to leave with her soon,” Meiko sighed as she stood up. Kiyoteru joined her.

“I’ll make sure to come back once they’re gone and then we’ll get to work,” he said as he strolled out of the room first, leaving Meiko alone with me. She stood with her back to me for a moment before she turned around and gave me a hug.

“You be careful, okay?” Meiko said as she pulled away. I noticed her eyes were red.

“Of course, and you better stay safe as well,” I told her and she just smiled, sadly, and nodded. She was almost to the door before I asked, “Are you all right, Meiko?”

Her hands jumped up to her eyes before she quickly replaced them and laughed it off.

“Oh yeah... it’s just Kaito being a meathead is all. We’ll work it out,” she answered and then escaped from the room before I could ask her more questions. I sat back and tried not to worry for Meiko, but it was hard. I’d never seen her that upset before.


	18. Drifting Chapter Part 9

-Rin-

I wiped away at the tears flowing out but I couldn’t stop crying. My scraped knees hurt so bad, I just wanted my daddy. I just wanted to be... home. 

“Why’re you crying?”

I jerked up to see a boy with scruffy blonde hair and a toothy grin. 

“I-I can’t find my d-dad. I just want my daddy!” I sobbed, as the boy’s grin quickly slipped off his face. 

“W-why don’t we go look together then?” the boy said, his lip trembling as if he was going to start crying too. I didn’t remember that, had it always been that way? He stuck out his hand and managed to smile again. 

“O-okay,” I said, as I cautiously reached for his hand. He took my hand and pulled me to my feet. We both started walking and I stared at our linked hands, as if that was the only thing holding me together.

If I hadn’t taken his hand that day...

_Would Len still be alive?_

I jolted out of the memory with a gasp. It took a moment for the last of the image to leave, sunny day turning into pink evening.

“Bad dream?” VY2 asked, not taking his eyes off the road. I let out a shaky breath, my left hand clenching and unclenching. It was not me doing that.

“It.. w-wasn’t re-ally,” my voice was getting worse. How soon... how long...

“That’s good,” IA sighed, leaning over to rest on my arm. I frowned, wishing that I didn’t have to worry her so much, but at this point was there anything I could do to change that.

“We’ll probably find a place to stop for the night soon. It’s been a long enough d-- shit!” VY2 swore, startling IA off of my shoulder.

“What is it?” IA asked, as VY2 slowed the truck down and pulled off to the side of the road. 

“Soldiers,” VY2 spit out, “they found a group of survivors.” I looked around wildly, trying to see where he was talking about. Finally I saw it, farther up ahead on the road. My sensors couldn’t pick up a thing, they couldn’t even pick up the people sitting beside me. 

“We better hurry,” IA said, scooting over to get out of the car door on my side. I tried to open the door but missed the first two times. Why was I so nervous? I’d done this a million times.

[This isn’t a good idea.]

Every time I think a situation can’t get worse.

[Rin, seriously, don’t.]

VY2 was passing out the guns as I tried to ignore Piko’s new tactic. At least he wasn’t throwing a memory at me. I hesitated taking the gun from VY2, had Piko ever used my name before?

“Let’s go,” even VY2’s hushed voice made me flinch. Maybe Piko’s tactic was working. I shook my head and followed after VY2 and IA who were trying to move quickly and quietly towards the soldiers. I tried to use my sensors again, to make sure they were the only ones we needed to worry about but it was useless. I knew it would be. 

“...please, please!”

“...Quiet, all of you!”

“...don’t think that...”

Their voices were starting to carry over to us. The soldiers had forced a group of twelve on their knees in the middle of the road. Several soldiers had their guns trained at the survivors, while a couple more were kicking their way out of the buildings around them.

“Tha’ looks like all of ‘em,” said a burly man, slamming the door behind him. We ducked behind a car as a few of the soldiers looked around, making sure their slaughter wouldn’t have an audience. My breath came in short gasps as I focused my line of sight on the gun in my hand. My whole body felt heavy, could I do this?

“Can you do this?”

I flinched, not expecting VY2 to say my thoughts out loud. He stared at me, completely steady. Even IA, slightly pressed against me, was in control of the situation they’d done so many times before. What a luxury it was to not be afraid of your own body.

[Don’t do this.]

“I c-can do-o this.”

VY2 nodded and I felt IA’s small hand on my shoulder. He held up three fingers and started the count down. The last finger went down and I leapt over the car, as shots rang out from all three of our guns. Kill them as fast as we can, don’t look back. 

Five went down quickly, but the rest were now alert. It didn’t matter. It’s what we wanted anyway. Guns on us instead of the others. I got in between two of the soldiers and slammed my foot into the one on the left’s leg. The crack of his broken leg was louder in my ears than her scream. The one on the right met with my gun to his head, and I quickly wiped his blood off my face. 

VY2 was in the midst of it with me, while IA stayed back and took them out with her rifle. Out of the corner of my eye I saw some of the survivors getting up and fighting back as well. Another soldier grabbed my arm, dragging me down with her. I was drawn into her fierce eyes and felt my momentum lock up. Even with her broken leg she was still fighting, trying to stop me. God, no please, I can’t... I had to survive...

Her hand smashed into my face, giving up on trying to pry the gun from my hand. Suddenly, I was moving again. Not me.

_The virus!_

**THREAT**

Her eyes were gone. I’d shot her in the head. My body moved, standing up looking for another target. The enemy was already dead, but the virus was moving, jumping, skittering.

_Get out of ME!_

One of the men we saved was walking towards me, saying something I couldn’t hear through the ringing in my ears. He looked relieved before my bullet punched through his chest. I screamed, or maybe someone else was screaming. This couldn’t be happening again, this... couldn’t...

Someone grabbed me from behind and threw me to the ground. I looked up to see VY2. Did he think I was a monster yet? 

“K-ill m--”

_Rin, promise me you won’t die._

I was being torn in two. Wasn’t it better that I die instead of hurting all of these people? If Len was dead why was I still alive? What use was that promise? 

My hand pointed the gun at VY2, his foot slammed into my arm, making the bullet sail into the sky. I tried to get up but his knee knocked me back down onto the pavement. He raised his gun, trying to smash the gun out of my hand, but I was still much stronger than him. I rolled away from him and managed to get to my feet. VY2 followed me, still trying to rid me of my gun. He reached for my arm and I dodged, but too late realized he wasn’t going for my gun anymore, he was going for the shut off.

It seemed to go so slowly as VY2’s hand snaked past my head, towards the back of my neck. What did I want to happen? Why did any of this need to happen. I choked back a sob as I felt VY2’s finger brush against my neck. 

“IF YOU SHUT HER OFF SHE’LL DIE!”

That... was my voice but it wasn’t me.

Piko...?

VY2 stopped, unsure suddenly. I pushed him away, but managed to knock myself over as well. My head cracked off the concrete as my body attempted to break the fall with my non-existent right arm. I felt like I was drowning, I couldn’t focus.

[Fight the virus!]

My eyes snapped open to see IA kneeling beside me. Her hands were on either side of my head and there were tears in her eyes.

“Please, Rin. Please stop fighting,” IA begged, trying to get some reason out of me, but my reason was all used up. My hand started moving, frantically I tried to stop it, tried to find anything. 

Was I really going to kill her?

The gun was pointing at her, none of my systems, none of my files, nothing would let me change a thing. I was going to kill her. For the first time IA’s eyes widened in terror as her hands fell away from my face.

I stopped. I didn’t pull the trigger. Neither of us breathed, as if we were in a spell. Or a miracle.

[I can... only stop you for so long...] Piko’s strained voice echoed through my head. I didn’t understand, my mind moved sluggishly. Why on earth was Piko helping me? 

A metal bar swung down between IA and me, smashing down on my arm. The gun clattered to the ground and just like that, it was done. Nothing in my vision but my ruined arm.

“Rin...?”

I looked away from my arm. IA was farther away than before and VY2 stood in front of her, a metal pipe he’d found God knows where, at the ready. I deserved this.

“I-It’s o-ver. It st-opped,” I said. Vaguely, I wished that none of this had happened. That there was a way I could’ve gone back so that I’d never met Len. I’m sure... many people would’ve been happier that way.

The metal pipe fell out of VY2’s hands and he slumped to the ground beside me. I looked around but we were alone. Everyone else must have fled.

“I almost killed you. Dammit, I almost killed you,” VY2 rambled, rubbing his hand through his faded pink hair. I tried not to look at the blood splattered across his face. IA moved closer until she could wrap her arms around my neck, pulling me close to her. 

“It’s going to be okay,” she said, but her hands were shaking. All I could do was let my head fall onto her shoulder.

“I’m so-rry, so-rry, so-rry,” my voice skipped.

One day they wouldn’t be able to stop me.

I hope they killed me then.


	19. Drifting Chapter Part 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning for non consensual kissing/sexual harassment in this chapter.

-Len- 

My hands hovered over Rin’s arm. It’d been weeks since Miku first started contacting the other groups in the city, giving me time to work. I sighed, looking over at the small flash drive that held the antivirus. 

_What if it doesn’t work?_

I shook my head, trying to clear the thought out. It had to work. It had completely erased the virus from Rin’s arm. It had to work for the rest of her.

Slowly, I put my hand over hers and held it. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine she was here, but I kept my eyes open and forced myself to focus. It was cold. Jagged metal and broken wires still hung from one end. I’d need to fix it, no, make it better. I had to assume that Rin would have no way to fix it herself, or that there would be no tools available for me, or... that I wouldn’t be there. No matter what, I needed to fix Rin. No matter... what ended up happening.

A knock on the door, made me drop Rin’s fingers and turn to see Kiyoteru walking into my workshop. He rubbed at his eyes, but the dark shadows under them remained. I’m sure I looked about the same.

“They’re coming back, we should get you back to your room,” Kiyoteru said, coming over and picking up Rin’s arm before I could protest. He crouched beside me and stowed it under the table as I took the flash drive. That was staying with me.

“I really should keep working...” I trailed off, knowing there really wasn’t any point. We both knew.

“You need to rest,” he said sternly, putting a hand under my elbow and helping me stand up. I huffed, trying to pretend I didn’t feel the stabbing pain in my chest.

“I know, I know,” I agreed, my voice barely louder than a whisper. I didn’t want to admit it. The looming fear that I wouldn’t be able to go to Rin myself. I needed to get better faster. But the more I wished that, the more I was certain my injuries were at a standstill. Tipping on a scale, not getting better or worse. I took a few unsteady steps toward the door and gritted my teeth. I _was_ better. I _will_ be better... by the time everything is finished.

Kiyoteru kept his eyes straight forward and let me use him as a crutch. We shambled down the hall, passing a few others that asked how I was doing. Their eyes shifting, wanting to ask other questions. As much as I wanted to be annoyed, I couldn’t. I answered, trying to be reassuring, and we kept walking on, repeating the process until I was back in my stuffy room.

It almost physically hurt to see how clean the room was. I knew that Kiyoteru was only trying to help. He didn’t know I was trying to fill up the space, that I needed it to pretend I was all right. I didn’t want to say it out loud, it sounded childish enough in my head. 

“I know this is not... the best situation,” Kiyoteru said as he let go of my elbow.

“Hah, when was the last time we had a best situation,” I joked and Kiyoteru just shook his head.

“Well, I cannot deny that,” he chuckled as I slowly moved to the bed and sat down. I breathed out and willing myself to relax. Kiyoteru followed me over and I tried not to grimace at him. 

“You know I need to change the bandages,” Kiyoteru said, his smile was all sympathetic as he reached for my shirt. Abruptly, the door slammed open, causing both of us to jump. I looked over to see Meiko standing in the doorway. She was covered in dirt and still had her pack and gun slung over her shoulder. Meiko stomped the rest of the way in and shut the door behind her.

“I need a beer,” she stated. She didn’t even bother to walk all the way to the bed and just sat on the floor. 

“Didn’t go well?” I asked. Kiyoteru moved over to lean against the wall, giving up on my bandages for now.

“Of course it didn’t.” Meiko slumped forward and started rubbing at her eyes. “They wouldn’t give her the time of day, no matter how much she begged.”

“Well, at least it’s going the way we expected it to,” Kiyoteru added, crossing his arms. Meiko just flapped her hand at him.

“While that’s all good and well, she’s exhausting! We finally made it around to every group we know about, and she’s going to make us ask them all again. As if they aren’t already sick and tired of us,” Meiko groaned, and I reached down to pat her on the head, something Rin used to do for me. Meiko flinched, then finally looked up at me and smiled. “Sorry, it’s just been... rough.”

“You didn’t get hurt at all, did you? Or run into soldiers?” I said, but she was already shaking her head before I finished asking. 

“We managed to avoid them, we didn’t want to stir anything up,” Meiko said, trying to brush off some dirt smudged on her face. “I’ll cleanup soon. I just wanted to come here first while Miku would be busy.”

No sooner had she said that the door creaked open. I forgot to breathe, and a million horrifying possibilities flashed through my mind before it registered that it wasn’t Miku standing in the doorway. It was SeeU. Cat ears and all.

“Hello, everyone,” she said brightly, as she closed the door behind her and smoothed out her tattered dress. Kiyoteru was the first to recover.

“Do you need anything?” he asked, adjusting his glasses. Meiko stumbled to her feet, frowning uncertainly as she watched SeeU.

“I want to help,” she said, spreading her hands out.

“Help with... what?” I said slowly.

“Whatever you’re doing to try and save Rin. I want to help,” she answered outright.

“What makes you think--” started Meiko, before SeeU brushed her off.

“Let’s skip this, we don’t have a lot of time before Miku comes around.” SeeU walked right past and sat on the bed next to me and Meiko quickly shut her open mouth. I turned toward the smiling SeeU and Kiyoteru looking mostly amused behind her.

“Okay, but--” I tried to say, but SeeU cut me off as well.

“I know what you’re going to say and I know you’re going to have doubts but you’ve got to trust me. I know you guys are trying to get Rin back or fix her or something,” she began, waving her hands around. She looked directly at me and grabbed my hand. I gulped, trying to not back away from her gaze. “And I owe you and Rin for rescuing me. I would’ve been dead without you...” She paused briefly and I couldn’t help but remember watching SeeU be dragged from a building while Rin and I had been searching for supplies together. I could still see Rin dropping everything in her arms as she ran towards the girl we didn’t know yet. 

“Please let me help you! Let me help Rin!” SeeU pleaded and when I didn’t answer right away she quickly added, “I can help with fixing Rin, I can work on anything while you need to rest, I can--”

“It’s okay, SeeU, you can help,” I finally was able to say. SeeU’s face lit up and she jumped to her feet, still holding my hand.

“Thank you, Len! We’re going to get Rin back!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, we are,” I said softly. Meiko just laughed and slung an arm around SeeU.

“Welcome to the team then! Also, we better get going, I’ll fill you in,” Meiko said as she winked at me and steered SeeU towards the door. 

“Bye-bye, Len, Kiyoteru!” SeeU called back at us. I just waved as they left the room.

“Interesting,” Kiyoteru said. I turned to look at him with my eyebrows raised.

“Do you think I shouldn’t have agreed?” I asked, but Kiyoteru just shook his head.

“No, you did the right thing,” he said simply. He moved off the wall and stood in front of me, “But now it’s time to change your bandages.”

I managed to stop myself from audibly sighing, but I’m sure he could see it on my face.

“Okay.”

 

-Meiko-

 

Finally clean, I lounged in a makeshift chair and shook out my wet hair. I felt relieved for once. If SeeU was helping Len, maybe he could finally rest and get better. He was trying to stay strong but he looked so worn down... And what was there we could even do? It’s not like we could get him to a hospital.

I sighed and let my eyes close. I just wanted things the way they used to be, no war, running without pain, not avoiding Kaito, drinking beers...

The door creaked open and I cracked my eye open to see who else wanted to raid the food stores, when I saw Kaito’s blue head bobbing in and then freezing when he saw me. My eyes snapped open all the way to see Kaito trying to back quickly out of the room. 

“Hey, stop!” I yelled and stumbled to my feet. A horrible flash of pain flew up my bad leg and I crashed to the floor. The air rushed out of my lungs and I had to focus on breathing rather than swearing about Kaito getting away.

“M-Meiko are you okay!” 

I almost couldn’t believe that his hands were there, lifting me back up. It’d been... so long... Quickly, I latched onto his shirt and pressed my face into his chest, as if he was going to disappear.

“Meiko, what...?” Kaito said, his hands now hovering away from me, unsure what to do.

“Please, Kaito, please... stop doing this,” I said, close to tears. I tried to choke them back. I would not cry.

“Let me go.”

That is not what I wanted to hear. He’s so damned wishy-washy he can’t even push me away. I pounded my fist into his chest and looked up. He winced and tried not to look me in the eyes.

“Why are you _doing_ this?! Avoiding me? Being with Miku all the time? Why are you doing this!” I yelled, trying to get him to look me in the eyes. We stood there in silence, just my breath huffing as I waited. Finally, he looked at me. A fierce determination in his blue eyes.

“I’m trying to _save you!_ ” he burst out, pushing me away. I let his shirt slip through my hands.

“Save.. me? What on earth are you talking about?” I demanded.

“From _Rin_ ,” he said with disgust. My hands clenched, I almost hated him.

“From Rin? From my sister?! Don’t you _dare_ \--” I started, but Kaito cut me off, taking a step toward me.

“Yes, from Rin! She _killed_ people, Meiko. If she comes back she’ll kill the rest of us,” he spit out, as if it was painful to say. I wanted to smack that look off his face. _He_ was in pain? _Rin_ was the one in pain!

“She is not going to kill me, she’s not going to kill any of us!” I said, waving my hands in exasperation. Kaito just smirked. I was starting to hate him.

“Oh, we know you’ve got some sort of plan to fix Rin, or save her, or whatever, but we’re not going to let you do it. We won’t let you endanger everyone here, or endanger yourselves,” Kaito said while crossing his arms, as if he’d won. 

“Is that what Miku said? Do you only listen to Miku now? Remember when _we_ used to talk, huh, Kaito? Back when you were actually saving me?” I retorted, grabbing onto his arm, but he just shook me off. He turned around and headed towards the door. It felt final.

“Do you love _her_ now? All of those promises you gave me... were you just lying?” I asked, exhausted suddenly. I wanted him gone, I didn’t want to start crying with him here. He’d gotten enough from me.

Kaito paused at the door. His shoulders hunched.

“I still love you, Meiko.”

And he was gone.

“You’re a goddamn liar,” I whispered, as hot tears started to spill down my face.

 

-Len-

 

I remembered falling asleep after Kiyoteru changed my bandages. A throbbing in my chest woke me up. I groaned and tried to reach over for the glass of water beside my bed, but something was in my way. Slowly I opened my eyes. I saw her teal hair before I realized it who it was. Miku sat beside me and had half draped herself over me. She was even holding my hand.

I looked around helplessly, but it was just us. What on earth was she _doing?_ Like she was my girlfriend waiting for me to wake up in the hospital. I tried not to huff out loud about it, though I wasn’t sure why I was bothering to let her sleep. She did look exhausted, her pale face just barely visible in the dark room.

Maybe she felt me shifting around, but she finally started waking up. 

“I hope I didn’t wake you, Len. I didn’t mean to fall asleep here,” she mumbled, trying not to yawn.

“Miku... what are you doing here,” I said and she straightened up all the way, brushing hair out of her eyes. I guess that woke her up.

“What do you mean?” she asked, almost too politely. I lifted up my hand that she was still holding. She held it for a minute longer before she finally let go.

“I think it’s about time you came to accept some things,” she added calmly. I had a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach.

“What are you talking about?” I said, clutching at the blankets.

“Len, you need to accept that Rin is dead.”

“She’s not dead, she’s alive,” I tried to say firmly, but for a moment I imagined that she had found Rin before me and killed her. No... no, she couldn’t have... Meiko would’ve...

“She _is_ dead. And I never got in your way when you two were together...”

This couldn’t be happening right now.

“...and now that she’s gone, I have every right...”

“What are you implying?” I asked, though I knew full well. Miku’s eyes found mine and she stood up abruptly, forcing me to look up at her.

“I like you, Len. I’ve always liked you since the first day we met. I never said anything, never did anything, because you were already with Rin, but if there’s one thing this new world has taught me, it’s that things can be taken from you so quickly,” she said fiercely as she leaned over the bed and put her hand down beside my shoulders. I hardly breathed. I was trapped. I could only look up at her, her hair cascading down on me.

“Len, I love you.”

“Stop,” I choked out. I needed to move, I needed to get away.

“Forget about Rin. She was dead before we put her in that robot,” her hand traced the edge of my jaw.

“You don’t believe that.” I could hardly hear myself.

“I do,” she whispered, coming closer. Finally, her spell broke, and I tried to get away from Miku too late. Her hand was suddenly pressed down on my wound, pain lancing up my chest. I cried out.

She kissed me.

For a second it was just heartbeats and dizzy pain. I couldn’t think straight, couldn’t remember what I should be doing.

The door banged open and she was gone. I dragged in air and recoiled. It hurt so much...

“Len! Are you all right? I heard--” It was Kiyoteru’s voice. I didn’t reply, I kept my eyes shut and tried to breathe. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Miku said, and I heard her soft footsteps head toward the door. The door shut, but did she leave? Kiyoteru’s heavy footsteps came hurriedly over.

“Len, what happened? Are you all right?” he asked. It’d been so long since I’ve heard him this panicked. I forced my eyes opened and realized that there were tears slipping down my face. Kiyoteru stood over me, glasses askew, his eyes zeroing in on my chest.

“You bled through the bandages,” he stated, still not understanding. He rushed over to grab more, but quickly turned toward the door when he saw we didn’t have any here.

“Wait! Don’t... don’t leave,” I gasped out, reaching out towards him and seeing blood, my blood, on my hands. Kiyoteru hesitated, but took my outstretched hand. I clung to him and grabbed onto his shirt. I tried to stop seeing Rin’s dead body on the street, tried to stop thinking about how I carried her here, tried to stop feeling Miku’s hands and lips on me, tried to stop feeling like I never really knew anyone.

Carefully, like everything he did, Kiyoteru put his arms around me and held me there.


	20. Drifting Chapter Part 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready for a couple more Vocaloids? ;D The real question is how many Vocaloids will I add into this story.

-Rin-

IA turned the truck off the road and bumped down a dirt driveway. The little house at the end was going to be our camp for the night. It looked deserted but relatively intact, only a few broken windows. Slowly, IA drove around the house and parked the truck in the backyard. A grill was left unattended as well as a trampled playhouse.

“We better check out the house,” IA sighed, as she turned off the engine. By “we” she meant her and VY2. I was... out of commission. It was better this way.

VY2 reached over me to open the door handle since I couldn’t. I shoved up against the door to open it the rest of the way, my last arm in a sling. It was broken. I used to be able to fix myself, there were programs, but I didn’t touch them. They probably were infected by the virus and unusable, but... I didn’t want to risk the chance that they may work. 

I flinched as IA put her hand on my shoulder. She smiled up at me and I tried to smile back and not think about when I pointed a gun in her face. 

“We’ll be quick,” she said apologetically.

“Let’s go before it gets any darker,” VY2 added, looking around the grounds. 

“Goo-d l-l-luck,” I said, as they disappeared into the back door of the house. 

Then I was alone.

I leaned back onto the truck and breathed out slowly. It’d been weeks since I almost killed IA, but the guilt would not leave. And they wouldn’t let me leave.

“P-i-i-ko, pl-ease... talk to m-me,” I asked, but he didn’t say anything. He hadn’t spoken since he helped me. He hadn’t forced any memories on me either. I tried to ask him why. Why on earth... after everything he’d done, did he want to help me now?

I didn’t understand.

I shouldn’t be here with them.

Slowly, I slid down the side of the truck until I was sitting on the ground. I brought up my legs until I could lay my head on my knees, cradling my arm. I was terrified. There was no way out. 

“Rin...?” 

IA was crouching in front of me while VY2 grabbed some of our bags from the back. The house must’ve been clear. I swallowed and tried again.

“I-I shou-ld l-l-eave,” I said as clearly as I could managed. IA’s smile slipped away and I tried not to feel guilty looking into her sad eyes. I would feel guiltier when I killed her. 

“Rin, please... we’ve already talked about this.” She placed her hands on my knees and I looked away. VY2 left the bags and crouched down as well. 

“I’m g-g-oing to k-ill y-y-you both,” I said, forcefully, but neither of them budged.

“You’re staying with us,” VY2 quickly added, as if it was a fact. I looked between them. Trying to think of something, anything to tell them, so I could protect them. Maybe telling them about Piko would be enough... Maybe it was finally time for that.

[Don’t tell them about me.]

So, he was still here.

“T-there’s some-something I-I d-didn’t t-ell you be-before,” I started, silently cursing my failing voice. “I-I d-on’t just h-have a vi-virus in m-e-e. Th-ere’s this... o-other ro-b-bot’s con... consciousness... t-tormenting m-me... try-trying to h-elp the virus. H-He’s the o-ne w-who... ga-ve me the-the virus.” It was the most I’d said in a very long time. 

[Rin, please,] Piko begged. 

_Why do you even care?_ I thought, as I watched IA and VY2 look at each other, processing what I’d told them.

“Then those nightmares...?” IA trailed off, her mind racing.

“I-It was h-him. Piko,” I said, as VY2 stared at me intensely. I couldn’t look away from him.

“Is that the whole story?” VY2 asked. Somehow I managed not to visibly flinch.

[Please... Rin]

I cringed at the anguish in his voice. When had he ever sounded like that before? When had he ever been anything but ruthless to me? But I... couldn’t. Even as I questioned it I felt my head drop forward in resignation. 

“N-o,” I started quietly, “It’s n-not. W-w-when I al-most ki-lled IA... h-he st-opped m-me... tried to-to help. I d-don’t... un-understand w-why.” I didn’t look up, but I could feel IA’s hand in my hair, trying to comfort me.

“Maybe he’s trying to help stop the virus now,” IA said, but I shook my head.

“W-w-why wo-uld h-he?” I cried, looking desperately between the two of them. 

“I’m sorry, Rin. I don’t know,” IA said, letting her hand fall away from my hair. I sighed, trying to calm down. I wasn’t being fair. It wasn’t their fault.

“It d-d-doesn’t ma-tter. I-I’m still... d-dangerous. W-what if h-e doesn’t s-s-stop m-me next t-time? W-w-what if--” My breath caught in my throat as VY2 suddenly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. He... hardly ever even touched me, let alone hugged me. I forgot what I was saying.

“Listen, Rin. I’ll admit it. I am afraid of what you might do. That you might hurt us... or even kill us. But I’m not scared of you, Rin,” VY2 said quietly, his chin resting on the top of my head. I stayed frozen. “You’re our friend. We can’t just abandon you and we’re not going to. We’ll get through this... together.” He pushed me away slightly so he could look me in the face. He smiled down at me. “So, please. Stop asking us to let you go.”

I felt my eyes scrunch up and if I could’ve cried, I would’ve. I didn’t deserve them. I didn’t deserve any of them.

“O-okay.”

 

-Len-

 

A loud thud woke me up from the nap I didn’t know I was taking. My arms protectively crossed over my chest and I whipped around, trying to get my bearings. I was in the new work room. There was SeeU picking up the wheel she dropped. There was the covered windows, the boarded up door, my work table, Rin’s arm I’d fallen asleep on. Slowly, I relaxed. Slumping forward, I let my head fall into my hands and controlled my breathing. In, one, two, three. Out, one, two, three.

“She’s not here, you’re okay,” SeeU said quietly. I looked up from my hands and gave her a shaky smile. I hadn’t kept it secret. I couldn’t. Meiko didn’t even bat an eye when I asked if someone could start staying in the room with me. That night Meiko and Iroha moved in and they switched out the bed for the blanket nest we all used to sleep in. 

SeeU watched me for a moment before turning back to “the project,” otherwise known as the motorcycle we somehow managed to sneak into the lab. Which was the reason for the new work room. We couldn’t just wheel a motorcycle through the lab, we had to pick a new room that was as close to the outside as possible. No one used these rooms in fear of being discovered. Pro: People wouldn’t come poking their nose into this room. Con: It was a lot more dangerous for anyone actually working in the room. We came armed every time and tried to be as quiet as possible and hoped for the best. 

SeeU tried again to put the wheel in place. It was hard getting parts and half the time we didnt know what we were looking for. We’d be lucky to get it running. Not that we’d found a time to try and start it without the massive amount of noise it was sure to make. I glanced at the boarded up door. I just had to have faith that it was going to work, that I was going to ride out of here to Rin.

“I think we better stop for today,” she sighed, pushing her hair back and gently setting the wheel down.

“Maybe I should stay a bit longer,” I said, reaching over across the table I’d fallen asleep at. Rin’s arm, it was almost ready. I hardly had any time as it was to work on it and I’d gone and wasted it. 

“Len,” she practically sighed my name. She stretched before turning to stare me down. “You obviously still need sleep and you are still healing. Getting better is essential for finding Rin.”

I tried not to grimace. She was right of course, but I wasn’t the type to rest. Which was probably why SeeU was pulling me out of my chair. I let her get me to my feet. She moved over to hide Rin’s arm as I teetered for a moment, trying not to fall back into the chair. I gripped the back of the chair and breathed. I’m fine, I’m doing fine, I’m getting better. I’ll keep repeating it until it’s true.

“Also, we can’t expect... her to be occupied much longer,” SeeU said, hesitating over her name. Miku. She threw a blanket over the motorcycle and pulled a few junk boxes around it.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m thoroughly convinced,” I joked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She gave me a relieved smile as we headed out of the room. No one was out in the hall. SeeU turned and locked the door, which might’ve been an empty precaution. We had no way to know if Miku had another key, but just in case, we locked the door.

Carefully, we made our way back to the inhabited parts of the lab. I struggled to walk on my own, but I did, with SeeU hovering by my side. It was the second time I’d managed to stay on my feet. 

“Do you hear that?” 

I stumbled to a halt beside her. I, in fact, had not heard “that.” My full concentration had gone into just walking. Now that I had stopped, I could hear that “that” was several people whispering. They were probably just around the corner.

“Who do you think it is?” I asked, but SeeU just shrugged. Before we could decide to check it out they rounded the corner.

“Oh, Len!” 

It was an odd assortment. Anon and Kanon, the twins, were locked arm in arm, with Miki straightening up from whispering to them. Along with Bruno and Oliver close behind them. They all looked a bit nervous. Maybe because I was still potentially “emotionally unstable.”

“Hello, everyone!” SeeU broke the silence, thankfully. “I’m just helping Len around a bit.”

“Y-yeah,” I jumped in, “I’m healing great.”

“That’s wonderful!” Miki said, clasping her hands together, “It’s been... awhile since we’ve seen you up and around.” 

“Ah, yeah. I’ve been... healing,” I replied, brushing a hand through my hair. I wasn’t sure where to direct the conversation. No one said anything for what seemed like minutes. Kanon elbowed Bruno and he made a face at her before sighing.

“All right. Do you know whats going on around here?” Bruno said, leaning slightly towards us, his hands in his pockets. I tried not to look too surprised. They couldn’t mean...

“What exactly do you mean?” I finished out loud. The group looked uncomfortably at each other, except for Oliver who kept his un-bandaged eye trained to the ground. 

“Okay, okay,” Bruno forced himself to be the spokesperson again. “About the plan, the counter-attack. No one’s going to help us, are they.”

He didn’t ask it like a question, but his blue eyes didn’t look away.

“No, it doesn’t look like it,” I said.

“Then what does Miku think she’s doing? Does she actually expect _just us_ to save our whole country? We’ll get killed!” Anon exclaimed, while Kanon tried to hush her. I gritted my teeth, attempting to stay calm. 

“Her plan was flawed from the start, thats why none of these other groups are agreeing to it,” I spit out, “It was never going to work.”

“She can’t seriously be thinking of still going through with it,” Bruno asked, putting a hand on Anon’s fuming shoulder. 

“We’re not sure,” SeeU said, frowning, “She’s making the rounds again, but it’s all been the same.”

“Can’t you stop her, Len? Talk some sense into her? You were leading us, together!” Miki took a step toward me, her long pink hair gripped in her hands. She looked at me hopefully, but I couldn’t hold her gaze.

“Not anymore.”

Anon and Kanon looked at each other helplessly. Bruno half slumped against the wall. I felt like following suit. I couldn’t do anything against Miku. I couldn’t help them.

“Well, this looks cozy.”

Miki yelped and the five of them spun around as Miku herself, rounded the corner. I took a hard breath in and SeeU grabbed my arm. 

“Ah-ah, Miku!” Miki said, trying to act normal and spectacularly failing. “We were just...”

“Yes, what are all of you doing?” Miku interrupted, coldly. She asked Miki but her eyes were on me. 

“We were talking, are we not allowed to talk?” Bruno said, looking down at Miku, daring her to say otherwise.

“Of course, you’re allowed to talk. What a funny thing to ask,” Miku laughed, crossing her arms. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Len, alone.” 

Oliver was already gone. The twins didn’t need to be asked twice and they made sure to pull the hesitating Miki and Bruno with them. I gripped SeeU’s hand, as if she was going to disappear as well and she squeezed my hand back.

“I think we’ll be going, too,” SeeU said firmly and Miku frowned.

“I need to talk to him,” she said, taking a few steps forward. I took a step back.

“I don’t want to talk to you, Miku,” I said, but I didn’t sound nearly as forceful as I wanted to.

“See, that settles it,” SeeU said, walking us forward. For a moment I thought she was going to let us leave. We’d barely passed her before she whipped around, latching onto my arm. I recoiled, but she held on.

“What were you telling them? Are you trying to turn them against me?!” she yelled, her eyes wide. 

“Miku, stop!” SeeU said, trying to pull me away. I froze, I felt trapped all over again, but I could move. Just move, dammit!

I pushed Miku away. She stumbled back, surprised. I paused. Another time I would’ve gone over to her, tried to make her laugh to get that hurt look off her face. In another time I wouldn’t have remembered her pressing down on top of me, kissing me. I turned on my heel and tried to walk away as fast as I could. SeeU caught me before I fell.

“I’m so sorry, Len,” she said quietly.

“It’s not your fault,” I was just as quiet. 

We left Miku behind and I didn’t look back.


	21. Drifting Chapter Part 12

-Rin-

My hand lightly tapped and twitched as we edged around the house. It was theirs. IA and VY2’s house. Their home. It felt like it’d taken so long to reach here, the tension was unbearable, like something was about to break.

Lightly, my hand traced the bullet holes that littered the side of the garage. It was so quiet I could hear the stone crumble away as my hand passed over it and the crunch of the dead flowerbed as we walked through it. Every once in awhile the wind would pick up, creaking gates and scattering litter across the road, as if to make up for its lack of inhabitants.

VY2 looked back at me and IA. His light pink hair was subdued under a worn black beanie and there was a tightness around his eyes. Sometimes it was difficult knowing what VY2 was thinking, but today it seemed as plain as if he was speaking to me. What are we going to find in there? Is everyone dead? Did we come back to only bodies?

I didn’t want to know.

IA grabbed the back of my shirt. I could feel her hand trembling against me. VY2’s shoulders were braced as if waiting for someone to hit him. They needed to know.

Finally, VY2 looked away from us and started around the side of the house. We followed to the backyard. I tried to concentrate, but I felt fuzzy with exhaustion. It seemed like each day I woke up more and more tired. I didn’t want to think about what it meant... My voice had already completely failed and we’d managed to repair my remaining arm enough for me to gesture and write, but I was deteriorating. Sooner or later the virus would gain control or... I’d die a second time. Shaking my head, I scattered the thoughts away. I had endless nights to agonize over this, and now wasn’t the time. I shoved away the fog in my mind and forced myself to use what senses I had left.

I scanned the overgrown backyard. A lone shed stood open, with its door halfway across the yard. The fence in the back had been toppled over and a tree had been severely hacked at by a gun. It looked empty, but I couldn’t help but imagine soldiers behind every bush, maybe even hiding in one of the overturned trash cans. This place had the most soldiers I’d seen since I left... Miku and everyone. We’d barely avoided getting discovered on the way in and had to leave the truck outside of town while we continued the rest of the way on foot. I didn’t understand why there were so many soldiers here for such a small town...

I frowned and looked around again, my hand twitching. Nothing. Deserted. 

[Calm down, I’m watching too.]

Breathing out, I did try to calm down. It seemed like as my voice disappeared, Piko filled in the empty spaces. I’m not sure when I got used to Piko talking me to sleep. Sometimes I would ask him why, but he never gave me an answer. Finally, I just gave up. I needed the conversation more than I needed to know.

“The door’s unlocked,” VY2 said over his shoulder to us. I nodded and looked back at IA. She tried to smile confidently at me as she let go of my shirt and put both hands on her gun. We were as ready as we could be.

VY2 turned the handle, opening the door and we filed into the garage. I blinked a few times trying to see in the dark area and my eyes were immediately drawn to a huge stain on the floor. 

“This is where... Stacey and Leah died.” VY2’s voice was hardly above a whisper.

“Their... they aren’t here anymore. That’s a good sign,” IA added as she stepped up beside me. It meant that someone had come back for them. Someone had survived. 

[For awhile, at least.]

Piko, always the pessimist. 

VY2 and IA were already moving towards the door that led into the house. That one was locked, but IA quickly found the spare key and we went in. 

It was a mess. Blood, overturned furniture, broken picture frames and lamps. It was hard not to focus in on the pictures of their family or notice the little details. I could imagine them sitting at the wooden dining room table, the smashed chairs upright and inviting. I could see them sitting on the floor in the living room watching TV, a family portrait somehow untouched above it. 

I tiptoed through each of their memories, through their old life. VY2 and IA searched through some of the mess while I came to a stop, watching. I felt like I couldn’t touch it, as if I would disturb something. My hand grabbed as if trying to hold onto something and I quickly forced it to latch onto my black shirt. Finally it went still.

VY2 motioned over at us and we followed him towards the second floor. It was similar to the first, the soldiers had done their job thoroughly. VY2 pushed open a door and froze staring into it. I peeked around his shoulder and saw what was probably his room. He had a bunk bed with no bottom bunk and the walls were still covered with posters from movies and shows. There were even drawings tacked to the wall. One was very clearly of VY2 himself, pink hair and everything. Had he drawn them or had someone else...?

VY2 walked in and made as if to climb up into his bed, but instead he placed his hands against the bed frame. I looked away quickly, my lips pressing together. Quietly, I left VY2 alone and joined IA as she checked the other rooms. I couldn’t help but remember how hard it was when I went back to my home, seeing it torn apart... seeing my family’s bodies... They were lucky there weren’t any bodies here. They didn’t have to go out and dig graves or get dragged away when Len realized you weren’t going to stop staring at their faces any time soon. They didn’t have to see their strong sister collapse, grabbing at our parent’s cold bodies as she cried. Their last image of their family wouldn’t be of them broken and bled out. It was better to find nothing, wasn’t it?

“There’s some things missing,” IA whispered to me, as she pushed a dresser drawer closed. I held up a hand, questioning.

“Well... all of the clothes are gone. These dressers are cleaned out and the closet is completely empty. Even downstairs all the plates and bowls and silverware were gone. There wasn’t even leftover food in the fridge...” IA counted off on her fingers, trying to remember it all. As she said it I realized I hadn’t been paying attention at all. I pointed from the door back to this room.

“They came back?” IA asked, guessing at what I was trying to say. I nodded and she smiled fiercely, looking so hopeful it was hard to not turn away. “Yeah, I think they had enough time to come back and clear out anything useful here.”

“I agree,” VY2 said as he came into the bedroom, making both IA and me jump. He smiled apologetically before he continued, “I looked for some of my things. My laptop is gone, which could’ve been stolen, but there were several things that... only my family would’ve known were important to me and they’re gone.”

“That’s great! That means not everyone died here! Some of them are still alive!” IA raised her voice and I gently motioned for her to keep it down. VY2 slowly moved over to his parents bed and sprawled across it.

“Yeah, but what do we do now?” he said; his arm covered his face. 

“What do you mean?” IA said, her hands clasped together.

“They aren’t here. There’s nothing here to even suggest where they could have gone.” VY2 sat up suddenly, hands clenched at either side of his head. “And what was I even _expecting?_ That we’d just come home and they’d be here waiting at the front door?”

“We... we can check my house? Other relatives... even just friends...” IA tried to suggest, but VY2 quickly cut her off.

“What if they aren’t there? What if we look everywhere and they aren’t _there_ ,” he said his voice hoarse. IA flinched and looked away. I tried to step in, my mouth open, but the words weren’t there.

“We might not ever find them. They might’ve came back and then died somewhere else. We could look for the rest of our lives... there might never be anything for us,” VY2 said, defeated. IA burst into tears, covering her face and turning away. I felt hollow, as if I had just left the lab, had just left Meiko, Miku, Kaito, Iroha... Len... all over again. Suddenly, I was back in that desert, drifting again.

[Rin, snap out of it! You’re alive, they’re alive. You’re here... we’re here... together.] Piko yelled this at me, hesitating near the very end. _We’re here._

My head snapped up, determined, just in time to see the tears slipping down VY2’s. I froze for a moment. VY2, always trying to stay so strong for us, looked trampled. For a second I didn’t think I could reach him, but Piko was not incapacitated like myself. He reached with my arm and I was moving around the bed towards VY2. I didn’t try to fight it as Piko threw my arm around VY2 and pulled him into a hug.

“R-Rin what’re you...?” VY2’s voice was muffled against my shoulder. Piko flinched but then let my head drop.

[Don’t give up.]

His voice was still all in my head. With that he left, and it was me hugging VY2. I let us stay there for a moment before I straightened up and lightly poked him in the forehead.

“Hey, seriously...?” but I was already turning away and reaching for the sharpie I kept in my pocket. I went over to the wall, hoping they wouldn’t be too mad about me writing on it. As legible as I could I wrote: PIKO SAYS DONT GIVE UP.

It looked terrible, I was naturally right-handed and with my arm semi-broken, it would be better to assume a toddler wrote on the wall.

I turned around, holding my breath. They both were staring at the words as if they’d never seen them before. VY2’s laugh broke through the silence, making both IA and me jump.

“‘Don’t give up,’” VY2 read off the wall as he pushed himself off the bed. In a quick movement he grabbed both of us and pulled us into a hug. “I’m an idiot,” he started as IA buried her head into VY2’s shoulder, trying to stop crying, “I panicked, I’m sorry. We’re not giving up, we’ll keep looking for them.”

“Don’t do that to me again!” IA’s said, her voice muffled. She wiped at her face and VY2 patted the top of her head. He looked over at me, giving me a watery smile.

“Thank you, Rin. Thank you, Piko.”

I felt a small jolt from Piko.

[He... he told me thank you...] The surprise and happiness from Piko was almost tangible. I smiled back at VY2 and nodded. 

_Thump._

The sudden noise made me go rigid, not even daring to look towards the open door. VY2 released us and spun around, listening, but we could all hear it by now. Heavy footsteps crossing the linoleum floor. Someone else was moving through the house. 

“What should we do?” IA’s voice hissed, finally getting me to move. The room suddenly seemed so bare. Where on earth would we hide? VY2 put a finger to his lips and started shoving us both toward the closet. IA stumbled to a stop but I latched onto her arm and helped VY2 push her into the closet.

“What if it’s them?”

VY2 winced and shook his head. He mouthed “stop talking.” IA opened her mouth, prepared to argue and I quickly put my hand over it, pulling her to the back of the closet. VY2 closed the door as quietly as possible and we all fell quiet. She’d stop struggling but I didn’t let go. The shuffling seemed even louder than before and the slotted closet door felt like we might as well be out in the open. 

Agonizingly, we listened as they moved around the house. For a second I thought they might not even come to the second floor, but after a short pause they began to creak up the wooden stairs. VY2 pulled his gun out from his makeshift holster and laid it across his chest, hardly breathing. A shape appeared at the end of the hallway. IA shifted forward slightly, trying to see through the blinds. My hand twitched, still pressed against her mouth. The figure looked around and then stopped, staring straight at us. I swear he could see us, I could see his eyes on me. I had to move, if I moved fast it wouldn’t matter that I didn’t have a gun.

[Rin, wait! You’re not seeing him--] Piko tried to say, but I was already tensing, trying to get my arm off IA so I could open the door. I couldn’t let him kill them! 

VY2 noticed too late what I was doing. He hooked his arms around my neck and chest, but I already had too much momentum. We crashed straight into the closet doors, springing them a part as we fell to the ground, like a thunder crack. My hand opened and closed as VY2 jerked his head up, trying to be ready for whatever was coming. He wasn’t.

“I hope this isn’t an accurate depiction of how you’ve normally been hiding yourselves, son.”

He sounded just like VY2. I looked up, not at his eyes, just at him. At his uneven beard, the weary wrinkles of his clothes, the dried blood, how his hands trembled slightly.

“Dad,” VY2 breathed.

This wasn’t a soldier.

VY2’s hands left me as he scrambled up, tripping over himself as IA raced out of the closet after him. The man finally smiled and stretched out his arms to catch first VY2 and then IA. 

Seeing this was a certain agony that I hadn’t expected. I felt tight and I tried not to shrink away. Maybe it was because all of my family was dead now. Quickly, I ducked my head, unsure what kind of expression I was making as the image of my parent’s dead bodies competed with the family in front of me.

[Just breathe! Hold it together until you’re alone. I’ll... I’ll listen... just breathe] Piko said uncertainly, and I let out the breath I was holding. Somehow, I tucked it all away, put it aside in a file to be opened later. Carefully I got my feet under me and stood up just as the man let VY2 and IA go. His smile made him look years younger.

“It felt almost too good to be true, that you two had really made it back here,” he said, rubbing a hand through his thinning brown hair.

“H-how did you know we were here? We... we thought...” VY2 started before IA jumped in.

“Is anyone else alive? Are my parents alive?” Her small hands gripped at his arm.

“They’re alive. They’re doing just fine,” he said.

“Thank... thank god,” IA sobbed. I started toward her, but stopped. I felt like I an intruder in this conversation, but the movement brought the man’s eyes to mine.

“Is Mom...?” VY2 began, but his father was already shaking his head, turning his attention away from me.

“No, she... she died in the first attack,” he tried to say it quickly, as if it would ease the pain. VY2 bowed his head and the man hugged them again. It felt like one touch would break any of them.

“We shouldn’t stay here any longer,” the man said, breaking the silence. IA and VY2 stepped back, suddenly remembering their tossed-aside guns. The man looked at me again. “And who’s your friend?”

I couldn’t possibly imagine what he was thinking of me. I knew that I no longer looked as human as I used to. The stub of my missing arm was wrapped with extra pieces of clothing; it could have almost passed as a real wound, but my other arm was out of the question. Metal was apparent where it was damaged, as well as where we had attempted to fix it. It twitched and jumped as if to drive home the point.

“This is Rin,” VY2 said, as he stood beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. He steadied me. The man frowned slightly.

“I think there’s more to it than that.”

“It’s a long story,” VY2 countered. IA stood beside me as well. It felt like they were daring him to say anything, to try and turn me away. I relaxed slightly.

“And you didn’t say how you knew we were here. Are you still hiding out near by?” IA said.

“That... is also a long story. The short of it being we have a base near here where everyone stays. We usually have someone watching what goes on in the town, and they told me your descriptions so I came to make sure,” he said, crossing his arms as he glanced toward the window. 

“Everyone...?” VY2 started. His father shook his head.

“It’s really time for us to move. We’ll talk once we’re all safe,” he said, leaving no room for argument. He then turned to me and stretched out his hand, “I’m Marshall. Thank you for looking after Victor and Caitlin.”

It took me a second to realize “Victor” and “Caitlin” were VY2 and IA. I reached for his hand and shook it. 

“She can’t speak,” IA interjected as he let my hand go. He paused, as if he wanted to make us elaborate further, but instead he just nodded shortly and moved on. We were out of time.

“All right, follow me closely and listen to exactly what I say. No mistakes,” Marshall said, watching us until we all gave him confirmation. He turned on his heel and headed down the hallway. I rushed to keep up with him. We followed him out of the overturned house, past the bloodstained garage, and through the soldier-filled town. The farther we went, the more I dreaded reaching our destination. Things were suddenly connecting: the missing items from the house, the amount of soldiers, Marshall. 

We ducked down behind the shadow of a building as a patrol of armed soldiers passed by. Once they’d gotten far enough away we left the residential houses and moved into a vast expanse of warehouses. The metal buildings had definitely seen better days. Signs were partially knocked down, doors hung open, moving vehicles were tipped over or otherwise destroyed. We tiptoed through them, but it seemed redundant with the amount of noise from the waves crashing into the docks nearby. I hadn’t realized we’d gotten so close to the ocean. Marshall led us over to one of the buildings, looking every bit as derelict and bullet-holed as the rest of them. I wasn’t sure I could have even picked it out from any of the other ones. He glanced over at us, before knocking on the door. It swung open before he was even finished.

“Hey Marshall,” said a scrawny boy as he stuck his head through the doorway to stare at us with his large glasses. His eyes narrowed on me and he adjusted his glasses before looking back at Marshall. “You weren’t followed, you’re all good to go.”

“Thanks, Sean. See you after shift,” Marshall said, putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder before turning away. 

“Wait, this isn’t it?” VY2 asked, trotting to catch up to his dad. He was already moving, heading to a different warehouse.

“You’ll see, we’re almost there,” he replied, as we hurried after him. I looked back to see Sean still staring after us. He reminded me of Iroha; he hardly seemed older than her. Before I turned back he stuck out his tongue at me and closed the door. I snickered. Okay, maybe he shared more than just age with Iroha. 

Three or four warehouses down we stopped again. This had to be it. He knocked and the door was opened again. This time we walked inside. I stiffened, unable to quite comprehend what I was seeing. The amount of people was staggering. I hadn’t seen this many people in one place since the day I died. They filled the warehouse, walking around, setting up things, sitting on mismatched chairs. My eyes jumped from place to place categorizing: they slept there, they used those boxes as a divider, that’s where they stored their food. This might not even be all of them.

IA gasped, her hands flying to her face as she raced forward. I finally forced myself to look at the people individually and saw that the crying people she was running to could only be her parents. She ran straight into their waiting arms, all three of them now crying. I smiled, they’d finally found them. They’d found their family. 

For a second I relaxed. We’d reached the goal; it was an appropriate time to relax, but my eyes were drawn away from IA and her family to the sheer amount of people here. I tried to look away to concentrate on other things, but now it felt like I couldn’t stop the overwhelming feeling of drowning. My hand grabbed at the empty air and I took a step back, as if that would stop me. I couldn’t lose hold here. I couldn’t let the virus win now, not when we were finally here.

An arm pressed down on my shoulders. I flinched and turned to see VY2 looking at me, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.

“It’s okay, we’re here. Just concentrate on me for a bit. We’ll find some place... more secluded,” he said, trying to smile encouragingly. I nodded, my hand still jumping in between us.

[Someplace secluded would be amazing right now,] Piko groaned. He sounded strained. Before I could ask he continued, [I’ll... keep back the virus as best as I can. You’re not alone, Rin.]

I wasn’t alone. 

No, in this warehouse, in this town I didn’t know, I definitely wasn’t alone. If I was alone I wouldn’t be trying not to kill everyone in the room. 

I wasn’t alone. 

No... I wasn’t. VY2’s hand holding me together, Piko holding me back, and even IA looking back to make sure everything was fine when she should only be thinking about her parents in her arms. 

I wasn’t alone.

I breathed in and turned my head into VY2’s chest, effectively blinding myself. I was going to make it through this. One way or another. 

I breathed out.

 

-Meiko-

“Please, you’ve got to listen to me!”

Arnold rolled his eyes, one hand scratching at his beard as he looked over the top of Miku’s head to me. He couldn’t be clearer. His eyes asked what I asked myself every day we did this: does she really believe anyone would go with this outrageous plan. I tried not to look like I agreed with him. It was already hard enough for them to take a bunch of kids seriously without Miku and her “plan” thrown into the midst.

“I’m not changing my answer. We’re not soldiers who’re going to go off on a suicide mission. I’m here to _protect_ these people,” he said forcefully to Miku, crossing his arms. Miku’s hands were in fists at her sides. I practically expected her to start punching him. I glanced over at Oliver who’s one eye was darting across the abandoned grocery store we were standing in. Arnold, the leader of the largest group of refugees, had agreed to meet us here. He had just one other person with him, that we could see anyway. His glare alone made it clear we were wasting their time. Really it was a miracle they’d even heard us out a second time. 

Bruno shifted uncomfortably next to me and our eyes met. He searched my face, like he’d done many times over the past few days, ever since he volunteered for this. I motioned with my chin towards Miku, trying to get him to focus instead of staring at me. Begrudgingly he turned away and I tried not to visibly show how frustrated I was with all of them. Whether it was my leg aching, Miku on a rampage, Oliver literally refusing to speak to me, or Bruno trying to decide if he’d ask me whatever burning question was on his mind, I’d had enough.

“So, you expect us to live this way forever? You’re telling me you’re content to let Lacov step on us until we’re all dead?” Miku spat out, at the end of her patience. Arnold’s shoulders stiffened and his light eyes narrowed.

“I’m done here,” Arnold said as he nodded to his man, apparently also at the end of his patience. They both turned, heading to the back of the grocery store. 

“Coward!” Miku cried as she leapt toward him, trying to yank him back.

“Miku, no!” I yelled, trying to stop her but Arnold beat me to it. He tossed her aside, breaking her hold. She fell to the ground with a crash and everyone went deadly silent as Arnold drew a handgun from his side and aimed it at Miku.

“Don’t you dare call me a coward. You don’t know a damn thing,” he growled. I froze, waiting for him to lower his gun. I wanted to look behind to see what Bruno and Oliver were doing but I didn’t dare take my eyes off that gun.

“You’re a _coward_ if you’re not going to help us!” Miku said and I tried not to choke. Was she an idiot! I could see Arnold’s hand moving...

“You better not,” I said, as I ripped my rifle off its shoulder strap and aimed it at Arnold. No way I was letting him murder her, no matter how stupid and completely irresponsible she was. 

In a heartbeat, there was a gun being aimed at my head. Arnold’s man was there for a reason I suppose. We stood there waiting. I counted, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven...

Arnold dropped his hand and put his gun away, shrugging, as if we hadn’t come close to shooting each other. He turned away and started walking, one hand in his worn jeans.

“Hess, come on.”

His man lowered his gun and shouldered it again. My gun dropped slightly as he turned and followed Arnold. Before they disappeared into the back, Arnold called over his shoulder.

“This is the last time I ever want to see your damn faces. Don’t come back unless you want us to finish the job.”

Then they were gone.

My leg gave out and I stumbled to the floor, finally letting the rifle fall from my hands. I gasped, trying to get air back into my lungs. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked over to see Bruno, frowning.

“I’m sorry... I didn’t do anything...” he said, the hand on my shoulder tightening. I gave him a shaky smile.

“H-hey don’t worry about it,” I managed to say as he helped me up. Oliver had walked over to where Miku was still sitting, but he didn’t do anything, just stared at her with one hand over his bandaged eye. We waited, and she finally pulled herself to her feet. Almost gracefully, she spun towards us and walked past us without a word. Her face didn’t reveal a thing. She’d almost gotten to the door before she realized we hadn’t started following her.

“Well, what are you waiting for? We still have more people to talk to,” she said, as the light from the broken glass doors threw her face into shadow. 

“She’s insane,” Bruno breathed into my ear. I gripped his shoulder this time, trying to steady myself. He was right. How did things ever come to this.

Oliver passed us and walked toward Miku. She left through the door, expecting us as well. Slowly, Bruno and I followed her out into the bright sun.


	22. Drifting Chapter Part 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're all caught up and the next chapters posted will be new ones I've been working on. Hopefully the next chapter will be coming soon! I'd like to get it done this weekend so be on the look out ;D

-Len-

I tapped my fingers against the floor and stared down the door, daring it to open, daring it to let me leave. My room felt smaller than ever, but at least Kiyoteru had finally stopped trying to clean it, now that it had been reverted back to the blanket nest. I’d already tossed the blankets even farther apart like a one-man tornado. It was finally time to go. We were done. Rin’s arm was finally completed. The motorcycle was as ready to go as it could be without running it. It was time to leave. Rin was waiting for me. 

I ground my teeth in aggravation, slumping onto the floor to stare at the ceiling instead. We’d been ready for days, but Kiyoteru had cautioned us to wait. There were a million reasons: Meiko wasn’t back yet, I wasn’t ready to travel, there were too many soldiers in this area lately, and so on and so forth. I couldn’t stand it one more minute. It felt like if I didn’t leave tonight I would never get another chance.

“Len, will you play cat’s cradle with me?”

Iroha’s small face looked down at me, yarn in her hands. She’d been keeping me company. Talking with me when I felt like it and drawing on the walls when I didn’t feel like it. She’d decorated one whole wall so far, a mixture of crayon, marker and pen mark’s that didn’t reach past my shoulders.

“I’m not sure if I remember all the steps,” I said, pushing myself back up so that I was sitting cross-legged in front of her. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you,” she said, all smiles. Iroha threaded the yarn between her fingers and I tried not to focus on her thin arms or the oversized red knitted sweater she was wearing. It used to be Rin’s.

Iroha held the yarn out to me, I looked it over before pinching the yarn together and bringing it around. One after another we did each pattern. At least my hands were occupied, but my mind was free to spin from one possibility to another. When would we leave? Where would Rin be now? What could she be doing right now?

_She could be dead._

No. She would be alive. I was going to find her alive. And, no matter what Kiyoteru or Meiko said, I was going to find her. I forced myself to stare at the cat’s cradle instead of my chest. It wasn’t good, but I could walk. Even if I had to _crawl_ I was going.

Iroha changed the pattern and I stared blankly at the parallel lines. Two lines that would never intersect.

“I don’t know what to do.” I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Oh, it’s easy! Just take your pinky finger and—“ started Iroha, trying to point, but suddenly froze as we both heard the door swing open. Kiyoteru filled the doorway and towered over us. We waited in silence as he came in and shut the door behind him.

He hesitated, opening his mouth and closing it before opening it once more.

“We’ll do it tonight.”

My heart bounced against my ribcage as I scrambled to my feet. Iroha didn’t move, the abandoned game still in her hands.

“Meiko’s back?” I asked.

“Yes, they arrived a few hours ago. I’ve been talking with her and finishing preparations since,” Kiyoteru began before he paused again. He looked at me and then away, adjusting his glasses. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Kiyoteru fidget before.

“I’m going to ask you one thing.”

I took a breath, steeling myself. I knew what he was going to say.

“Would you… please consider staying behind and letting Meiko and SeeU take care of this,” he said, his voice low. Kiyoteru met my eyes as I frowned.

“I’m going.”

“You are not well, you could end up killing yourself,” he said earnestly, taking a step forward so that he could put both his hands on my shoulders. I tried to stay firm.

“I’m still going.”

“If you’re not going to think about yourself then think about _Rin_. Right now, she probably believes you’re dead. If you kill yourself getting there then what good was all this!” The harshness in his voice made me cringe, but I forced myself to face him. Forced myself to face his eyes full of pain. 

“That’s why I have to go, Kiyoteru,” I said, my voice hushed as I gently pulled his hands off my shoulders and held them there. “She thinks I'm dead. She’s living with me dead. I have to go to her, to show her I’m alive. That… it’s going to be okay.” 

Kiyoteru bowed his head; his hands in mine trembled. I swallowed and waited. I didn’t even notice Iroha getting up until she put her hands over top both of ours. Kiyoteru jerked up, as if he’d also forgotten Iroha was there. He looked at me suddenly, like I was a ghost. Then, slowly, he nodded. A tear slipped past his glasses as he attempted a smile. Carefully he pulled his hands from ours, patted Iroha on the head and with one swift movement pulled me into a hug. I stiffened for a second in surprise, before relaxing.

“For a moment,” he choked out before clearing his throat, “you looked just like Rin. Like the day we first met…I won’t stop you, but please just… stay alive.”

I nodded against Kiyoteru’s chest, “I will, no matter what.”

We stood there a moment longer before he moved back. Iroha suddenly moved in and clung to my waist.

“Come back,” she whispered pleadingly.

“I will. And Rin, too. Then we’ll be…” I stopped. I couldn’t really say it would be okay. We were still living in a war, we could all still die, but… getting Rin back would be a start. A start at being together at least.

Apparently Iroha didn’t need me to finish. She smiled up at me and I bopped her on the nose. Iroha just laughed as she let go of me.

“All right. I’ve brought you some clothes to change into,” Kiyoteru said, his voice shaking slightly as he handed me a bag I hadn’t noticed before. “Get ready and try to make it look like you’re sleeping here still. And Iroha, can you stay here and tell anyone who comes in that he’s sleeping?”

Iroha stood up straighter and nodded her head seriously.

“Good,” he smiled and patted her head again. “I’ll be right back, be ready then.” And just as quickly as he came, he was gone. I tried to brush away the feeling of guilt. It felt like I’d disappointed him… and hadn’t at the same time.

“Len?” Iroha said as she lightly touched my hand. I shook my head, trying to focus. There wasn’t any time to waste.

Iroha went over and started bundling blankets together while I looked inside the bag. I pulled out a dark long sleeve shirt as well as a thick green jacket. They wouldn’t stand out as much as the bright orange shirt I was wearing, even if they were more worn out. I quickly slipped into them. My chest throbbed from the effort but I forced myself to ignore it. Under all of that were a pair of boots and socks. The boots were too big but the extra pair of socks would help. I started pulling up my hair into a ponytail—it’d gotten pretty long since I last cut it. Now it reached past my shoulders. With everything on I felt ready and this all felt real. I was really going. Soon I’d see Rin.

I turned just in time to see Iroha pulling a blanket overtop of a very body-like mound. With the lights off it just might work. I caught her eyes as she finished and she gave me a trembling smile.

“Good, you’re ready.”

Kiyoteru had returned, with a second pack and Meiko. She was already dressed to go, but with a gun and backpack slung over her shoulders. Her mouth pressed into a thin line when she saw me.

“Meiko!” Iroha cried as she ran to Meiko. She softened a bit as she kneeled down to catch Iroha.

“This is going to be your bag for the journey, Len,” Kiyoteru said to me as he handed it over. It felt heavy, as if Kiyoteru had packed my doubts into it instead of extra food. I opened it and saw that Rin’s arm was already inside. Softly, I touched it, tracing the long black sleeve that covered the prosthetic skin I couldn’t fix as well the extra hardware I had to add to combat the virus. I couldn’t put everything inside her arm if I expected it to still function like a normal arm. A few lights flickered on it, letting me know it was still operational. I sighed and withdrew my hand, closing my bag. Carefully I put it on my shoulders as my hand closed around my necklace, making sure it was still there. Technically, it wasn’t really a necklace. It was the flash drive that held the anti-virus. Our back-up.

“The hallway is clear, we should move,” said Kiyoteru, looking apologetically at Meiko and Iroha. Meiko looked up, almost pleadingly, before giving Iroha one last stroke of her hair.

“Be good and go to Kiyoteru or SeeU if you need anything,” Meiko said softly to Iroha. She nodded and quickly kissed Meiko’s cheek before she stood up. Meiko’s mouth opened in surprise, but Iroha had already scurried back over to where the pretend-me was sleeping.

We stood there for a moment longer before we left the room, turning out the lights and closing the door. Kiyoteru hurried us down the hallway towards the outskirts of the building where the motorcycle was.

“What time is it?” I whispered, but before Kiyoteru could answer Meiko rounded on me.

“You shouldn’t even _be here_ ,” she hissed at me.

“I have every right to be. I’m going and there’s no arguing,” I said just as quietly back. Meiko fumed and looked to Kiyoteru for help, but he just shook his head. She threw her hands up in frustration, but didn’t say anything else.

Somehow we made it without anyone spotting us. Kiyoteru rapped on the door three times before walking inside. SeeU was already there, checking over the motorcycle one more time. It looked ready and hopefully it would start as well. No, I couldn’t let myself doubt it for even a second.

Now that we were near some windows that hadn’t been completely covered up, I could see that it was dark out already. I hadn’t realized it was already night. Perfect cover for us to break out of here.

“This is it,” I said.

“It is,” SeeU said with a sad smile. Her robotic cat ears glowing faintly in the dim room. She moved to a table and brought over two other sets of cat ears. “I made these two for you as well. I’m sure you’ll need them. Remember to only use them when you’re trying to be quiet. If you use them on your motorcycle ride you might lose your hearing.”

She started helping me put them on, showing how they clip into my hair and how to change the volume, depending on the situation. I carefully put the earbuds in, but kept it off.

“He shouldn't even be going,” Meiko interrupted, grabbing my shoulder.

“We all knew he was going to go whether he was better or not,” SeeU said before I could.

“That doesn’t mean he _should!_ You’re both _okay_ with letting him go?” Meiko retorted, on the verge of shouting.

“It’s not up to us, Meiko. It’s up to Len,” Kiyoteru said calmly as he pulled her hand off of me.

“Meiko, I’m going. I’m going to Rin,” I said, firmly. She searched my face and gradually her shoulders slumped down.

“Fine. I’m done arguing. You’re about as stubborn as I am,” Meiko said, fighting a weary smile as she reached down to rub her leg.

“Maybe more,” I grinned. She just shook her head and accepted a pair of cat ears from SeeU.

“You should have everything you need in these bags. Here’s your guns too,” Kiyoteru said as he handed over my handgun and rifle. I put the holster around my waist and added the rifle to my pack. I looked over at Meiko and saw she was ready as well. There was no point in waiting any longer.

With little ceremony, Meiko threw her leg over the motorcycle and I followed suit. Kiyoteru walked over to the garage door, getting ready to throw it open for us. I grabbed onto Meiko’s backpack, bracing myself.

“Wish us luck,” Meiko said as she kicked the motorcycle to life. It roared and just as quickly sputtered out. I couldn’t breathe, we both were frozen in shock. It’d always been a possibility it wouldn’t work, but I’d never let myself believe any other outcome except it working. Meiko desperately tried to start it again and again, cursing as it stayed silent.

“Quick get off!” SeeU cried. Meiko had to pull me off as SeeU dragged her tools back to it.

“Shit! Anyone could have heard that!” Meiko said as she ran to a window, looking out.

“I’ll fix it, don’t worry,” SeeU said from underneath the motorcycle.

“Can it be done before we’re discovered?” Kiyoteru asked as he strode over to the door and locked it.

“It’ll have to be,” she said grimly. I watched her work, trying to stop my hands from shaking. I had to believe she could do it. If she couldn’t they’d have to go on foot. Even I couldn’t delude myself into thinking I could walk out of this city. I would still do it, I would still go, but would I ever catch up to Rin.

“I think I found the problem,” SeeU said, her hands already smeared in oil.

“How long?” Kiyoteru asked.

“Ten minutes.”

“We don’t have that kind of time!” I cried out, every second here pulled me farther away from Rin.

“Len—“ Kiyoteru started when suddenly the doorknob twisted and then vigorously shook. They were here already.

“She has a key!” I gasped out as Kiyoteru jumped for the door. Meiko rushed over to help, but the door flew open, throwing Kiyoteru into her.

“What the _hell_ is going on here.”

Her voice was like a punch to the gut as I stumbled back, away from her.

Miku walked into the room with Kaito, my eyes drawn to the guns they each held. Meiko and Kiyoteru scrambled to their feet and tried to block SeeU from Miku’s line of sight. SeeU looked over at me, her eyes wide, but I quickly motioned for her to keep working.

“I’ll say it _again_ ,” Miku started, biting off each word. Her eyes a storm that made me cringe. “What the _hell_ do you think you’re doing!?”

I tried to work my mouth but nothing would come out. 

“They’re leaving,” Kiyoteru answered for me. His simple words left Miku momentarily speechless, but she quickly recovered.

“I know exactly what this is,” she said harshly, taking a step forward. “You’re going to find that robot. This is _unacceptable_.”

“You don’t command us, Miku. If we want to go, we’re going to go,” Meiko spat out.

“Not if you think you’re bringing that _thing_ back to kill us. You forfeit any right to leave if you’re going to doom us all!” Miku said, her voice rising to a screech.

“Don’t call her that!” I shouted, finally finding my voice. 

“She’s dead, Len. Once you understand that you’ll be much happier,” she said smoothly, gaining her composure rapidly as she walked up to me. Desperately, I tried to get away from her reaching hand. Kiyoteru grabbed my arm, stopping me from falling into the motorcycle and steadying me as Meiko moved in front of me. Miku stopped before she ran into her. She looked up, ready to yell at her too, but Meiko was staring past Miku. Her eyes only on Kaito.

“Stop this. If you ever loved me let us _leave_ ,” Meiko begged, her voice thick. Kaito flinched, but his wide eyes couldn’t look away.

“If you leave you’re going to die,” he barely whispered. 

“That’s bullshit and you know it. Use your idiot head and think for once!” she yelled back. Kaito just shook his head. I couldn’t see Meiko’s face but she seemed to fall slightly, her arms holding herself together. I tried to reach for her, but I froze as Miku raised up her gun and pointed it at Meiko.

“I can see these negotiations aren’t going well. So let’s settle this quickly. Hand over your bags and get back to your rooms, now.”

“Or what, you’ll shoot us?” Meiko laughed, almost hysterical, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. My heart thudded in my chest; she wasn’t going to let us leave. She’d rather shoot us then let us leave. I flinched as I felt a hand against my back. I glanced back to see SeeU giving me a nod. The motorcycle was ready. Kiyoteru’s hand on my wrist tightened.

“Miku please calm down. Just put the gun aside,” Kiyoteru said. 

“No, I don’t think I will. Now give me those bags,” Miku smiled, holding out her hand. 

“I’m through with this. You’re not going to shoot me,” Meiko scoffed as she turned and headed towards the motorcycle. Miku just shrugged and aimed the gun towards Meiko’s bad leg.

“Miku!” Kaito shouted as he grabbed at Meiko’s gun hand. It went off, the bullet burying itself into the wall. Meiko had swung around, disbelief etched on her face. I dragged in a breath, she was really going to shoot us. My hands shook so hard Kiyoteru threw an arm around my shoulders and dragged me close to him. 

“Miku!” Kaito yelled again, not letting go of Miku’s arm. “What do you think you’re doing? We can’t _shoot_ them.”

“Well, we brought guns didn’t we? Did you think we weren’t going to use them?” Miku asked calmly and Kaito just gaped at her. 

“I’m not going to let you shoot them,” Kaito said, as he grabbed her other arm as well, trying to restrain her.

“Then how about I shoot them instead?”

Kaito and Miku both turned around and a shot echoed through the air. In slow motion Kaito dropped Miku’s hand and collapsed to the ground. Oliver stood in the doorway, gun in hand.

Meiko screamed and ran forward, trying to see if he was alive. My mind couldn’t catch up. Oliver had shot Kaito? But why? Why would he do that? The answer was there, but I didn’t want it.

Kiyoteru rushed forward, a shirt appearing in his hands that he pressed down on the blood pouring from Kaito’s shoulder. Meiko had pulled his head onto her lap and was sobbing into his hair. One of Kaito’s hands gently reached for her hair. I started forward but Oliver’s one eye snapped to me.

“No one else move. I’m going to take this where Miku left off. You will not leave here and you will give me whatever it is you _think_ you have that can fix that robot,” Oliver said calmly. As he spoke he’d swung the gun to aim at me. I felt SeeU grabbing onto my arm from behind. I could imagine the look on her face from how tight she held on.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, hardly able to keep my voice steady. Miku hadn’t moved an inch since Oliver arrived, her empty hands reaching out to no one. 

“I should think it was obvious by now. I was sent here by Lacov to find out how to take down the resistance here. And to stop anyone from going after that robot. It’s about time I took this information back, I think I’ve got plenty by now,” Oliver sneered. When no one answered right away, Oliver lazily looked us over and added, “You really didn’t think she’d let you run around killing our soldiers forever, did you?”

“You came… every time…” Miku whispered, the horror evident in her voice.

“I’ve seen every nook and cranny you pests have been hiding in. Maybe you shouldn’t have been so trusting, _Miku_ ,” he said, spitting out her name. She stumbled back, trying to find the gun she dropped. Oliver advanced toward her, his gun now on her forced Miku to give her full attention to it. “Now everyone is going to die and it’s all your _fault_.” 

I couldn’t take my eyes off of Oliver’s horrible smile in his child face. I tried to see some way out of this without getting us all killed. His un-bandaged eye looked over us all again, enjoying every bit of this, before he turned back to Miku.

“I don’t need you anymore.”

I was moving before I could think better. My bag flung to the ground as I leapt forward. She didn’t deserve this. I hate her, I hate what she’s done, what she’s _doing_ , but she didn't deserve this.

Miku saw me a moment before I collided with her. Her mouth opening to shout “no,” but it was too late. I grabbed at her shoulders but mostly collapsed on her as Oliver shot. It ripped through my arm, flinging me off Miku and onto my back. I screamed, the pain a rushing in my ears and a lightning bolt jumping between my chest and my arm.

Mike leaned over me, for some reason I could only focus on the tears streaming down her face. Her hands pressed against my arm and I tried not to throw her off.

“Len, I… I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. I didn’t say anything; it hurt too much. Instead, I tried to look past her. Weren’t we still in danger? Why wasn’t Oliver shooting? 

“Quick! Follow him!”

“Catch him he—“

“What’s happening?!”

“—they’re bleeding—“

“…did Rin—?”

There were too many voices. Why were there so many voices.

“Everyone c-calm down!” Miku practically shrieked, looking away from me. Slowly it made sense. All the others had come. There’d been too much noise.

“Len, oh God, Len.”

I looked over and managed to see Meiko in the haze I was in. I tried to pat her cheek, to stop her from crying, but my hand might as well have not existed.

“I-I’m… okay. What… happened,” I gasped out.

“You idiot, you’re obviously not okay!”

Kiyoteru leaned over, trying to drag my jacket off. I yelped, trying to jerk away, but Miku and Meiko held me down.

“Where’s… Oliver…”

“He ran. We tried to stop him… SeeU managed to get the gun away, but… he took off. She ran after him,” Kiyoteru said, pausing as he tried to concentrate on getting the rest of the jacket off. He wrapped something around my arm and I gasped at the sudden contact. I tried to see what it was but nausea swept over me.

“We’re doomed. Even if we catch him Lacov might already know,” Miku said, her hands trembled against me.

“Your plan would’ve doomed us anyway!” Meiko shouted at her. Miku opened her mouth to yell back.

“Stop… please…” I forced out. They both turned to look at me.

“Miku let… them go to Rin.”

She grimaced, but closed her eyes.

“Go then.”

I looked over at Meiko and swallowed. This would be the hardest.

“Meiko… go… without me.”

She nodded, tears slipping down her face again.

“You know I wanted you to go with me. I never wanted something like this to happen.”

“I… know.”

There was a commotion by the door and SeeU leaned down.

“I couldn’t catch him. He’s gone, gone straight to the soldiers,” she said, defeated. 

“Go with… Meiko. Here’s the… take the flash drive it’s…” I tried to grab it to give to her, but SeeU understood and carefully took it from my neck.

“Len, I… It should be you,” she whispered. I tried to focus on her eyes, but my heart was already breaking. Instead I stared at the soft orange glow from her cat ears.

“Find her… for me.” It was getting harder to talk.

“I will,” she was also crying as she leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. Someone else bent down and held me. I wasn’t sure who anymore. Then it was just Kiyoteru and Miku.

“I’m sorry, Len. We’ve got to move you.”

I wanted to tell Kiyoteru to stop sounding so sad, but nothing came out.

Abruptly I was being lifted up. I gritted my teeth as the noise of the motorcycle crashed down on my ears. I tried to keep my eyes open. If I let them close I was going to die. I would never see Rin. I tried to get one last look at Meiko and SeeU as they left, but I couldn’t see anything. I could only hear the fading engine.

My eyes closed.


	23. Drifting Chapter Part 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a long struggle of getting a new proofreader, I'm finally back in action! Thank you again for reading!

-Rin-

_Expiration Date 08/22/30_ , I read off the plastic jug of apple juice. Carefully, I put it back on the shelf and picked up another beside it. I never realized before how long apple juice lasted until now. I’d never looked. 

_Expiration Date 12/04/31_ , and I set that one down as well. I wasn’t sure why I was doing this, I read through the dates everyday. If anything it was a blessed distraction, and an excuse to be alone. There were so few places I could be alone anymore. The main gathering area was a big room that was constantly filled with people. I couldn’t stay there with them. With all those families. Since that first night, VY2 and I had camped out in the food warehouse, several warehouses down from the main one. It was as big as the main except the food was all kept in a back room. I still remember clearly the first time Marshall led us in there. I watched him move aside the metal sheet and other trash to reveal the door hidden behind them. The room was packed with food and drinks, on makeshift shelves and stacked on top of each other, with only a small bit of floor space. When I realized I’d be staying here, I felt like I was going to be crushed by that small space. Marshall made some excuse about guarding the food stash, but the real reason was clear to all of us. They wanted to keep me far away from the rest of them. I didn’t blame them. I wanted that as well. They shouldn’t trust me.

I closed my eyes, trying not to remember the way Marshall watched me whenever I had to go to the main warehouse. VY2 and IA had told him everything about me and our journey. I squirmed and couldn’t meet his eyes as they told the story. His eyes were a heat that could burn me. Marshall had reached toward me, as if he would throw me out right then and there, but IA grabbed my arm while VY2 put a hand on my shoulder and Marshall sighed. It had been weeks since then and I was still here. Reading expiration dates. 

_Expiration Date 05/13/25_ , this one wouldn’t last much longer. I moved it to the pile that would be going to the main warehouse. My hand twitched and jumped. I tried to grab for the next box but it only slipped through my fingers. I opened my mouth, cursing at my hand, only to snap it shut when nothing came out. Slowly, I sat on the cold floor, leaning my head onto my knees while my hand twitched uselessly on the floor. Focusing on the job had cleared my mind, if only briefly. Now, everything came rushing back. What was I going to do? Was I really going to stay here, hiding in a food storage, for the rest of my life? It was the end of the road. I knew… I couldn’t last much longer. My energy had been incredibly low lately, I could hardly force myself to stay busy. I could only assume I was dying. My body… this body was breaking down. I wasn’t even sure if it was only the virus’s doing, or if something else had finally broken… wore down the rest of the way. All I knew was, there was no fixing this. Fixing _me_. Was I really going to spend the rest of my time here? But if I left… they would follow. And if I left… there might be no one to kill me if the virus got out of control before I finally shut down. I rubbed my face against my knees, squeezing my eyes shut. I didn’t… want to think about any of it.

[Rin…]

His voice was weaker than before. When I die would Piko die too?

[Rin, stop… Don’t worry about that,] he said, half sighing.

_How can I not worry about that? I—_ I hesitated, hardly believing how much had changed for us… _You’re my friend, Piko. I don’t want you to die with me._

[You’re not going to die.]

I laughed, my chest shaking silently.

_How can you even say that? How can you say ‘I won’t die.’ What could… possibly save me._ I was falling apart; I couldn’t feel my head on my knees anymore. Wait no, I had fallen over on my side, that’s why I couldn’t feel my knees, my head was pressed on the floor.

[Rin, I’m not going to let you die. I— I’ve been…]

“Rin! Rin…? Are you okay?” 

I lifted my head and saw VY2 coming through the door. Marshall stood behind him, outside still along with a few others I didn’t know, but I could see they were all heavily armed. I tried to scramble up, but only managed to fall again, before VY2 caught my arm and hauled me up.

“Are you okay?” he repeated, staring into my eyes. I nodded yes, trying not to seem as disheveled as I’m sure I looked. VY2 smiled slightly before pulling me towards the rest of the group.

“There’s a situation,” Marshall said bluntly, crossing his arms. I tried not to cringe away from even that small movement from him.

“There are people here… looking for you,” VY2 clarified and I jerked around to stare at him. Someone was here looking for me? Could it be… someone from the lab? Or was it someone looking to kill me…

“We intercepted them before they drove straight to our base. They seemed to know exactly where you would be,” Marshall said, his voice accusing. My eyes widened as I realized what he was implying and I shook my head desperately.

“Dad! I already told you she wouldn’t do something like that. I trust her. And either you do or you don’t,” VY2 said with finality. Marshall grimaced and looked away. One of the people they’d brought with them stepped up to Marshall. She only came up to Marshall’s shoulder, but she looked every bit as tall. She tugged on her big frizzy brown hair as she smiled at me.

“Now, now, everyone. It only matters if I trust her,” she paused slightly, making sure she had everyone’s attention, “and I do trust her. Caitlin and Victor have told me all I need to know. I’ve seen enough, we’re not here to antagonize her, we’re here to ask for her help.” 

Marshall’s face was stony. The others seemed more or less convinced, but they weren’t about to speak up against her. The woman walked up to me and put a brown and scarred hand on my shoulder.

“We’ve never formally met. Hard to meet and greet everyone during war, right?” she cracked a joke and I smiled. “I’m Sophie Odell, the official unofficial leader of this warehouse.”

I stared at her in almost disbelief. I glanced over at VY2, but he only nodded encouragingly. Well, if anything it was easier talking to Sophie than Marshall.

“What we’d like to do is take you down to see these people who’ve come looking for you. You tell us if they are friendly or enemies and we’ll deal with it from there. Sound good?” Sophie asked me. I nodded, trying not to hope. It wasn’t going to be Meiko or Miku or Kaito or Iroha or… I felt like throwing up. 

VY2 hooked his arm through mine and helped me forward. My eyes snapped up, seeing that Sophie and the group had moved on without us. He looked down at me and tried to smile.

“Whoever they are… it’s going to be okay,” VY2 said, pushing back his black hat slightly. I took a breath and just nodded. There was so much I wanted to say… and couldn’t. Even if my voice was working, I’m not sure I would say it. Even if they were friends who had come for me… there was no way I could go back. How many… were still “targets?” My hand opened and closed, as if remembering. I just… didn’t want to kill anymore…

Together we moved quietly out of the warehouses and away from the water. As we jogged through the town I was surprised to see how far into the outskirts we were going. My limbs felt heavy, I desperately hoped I didn’t collapse. Not now.

[You’ll… make it. Just don’t worry about it.] Piko said, straining as much as I was.

_What are you talking about?_ I asked him but I could almost picture him shaking his head at me. 

[Please, I’ll… tell you later. Promise.] 

I clenched my teeth, but I stopped asking him. Instead, I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and VY2’s hand steadying me. 

We came to a stop beside a few houses in a cul-de-sac. They stood empty, windows broken, and doors smashed in. There weren’t any bodies here, but the war marked the houses in other ways. I was getting used to the sight of blood and bullet holes. 

Two of the people who came with us headed around one of the houses while Sophie turned back to VY2 and I. She smiled but I was too tense to do the same.

“All right, they’re on the other side of this house. We led them back out here to make it easier for us. You’ll go in and look through one of the windows and let us know if they’re friend or foe, got it?” Sophie explained, pointing at the house I was to go in. I tried not to think about how it would be easier to kill whoever had come, being so far away from where the soldiers normally were. Slowly I nodded.

“Good girl,” Sophie grinned as she patted me on the head. I followed after her as she headed into the abandoned house. VY2 and Marshall came with us, but the rest stayed outside. We walked through the overturned house and into a living room. I hesitated before the large windows. Hazy cream curtains covered the windows, letting the sunset fill the room with color. I could see the silhouettes outside and I turned away, my hand covering my face. I couldn’t stand it. Either way I wasn’t sure I could handle it.

[Rin, you’ve got to look. You know you have to look.]

_I don’t think I’m… strong enough._

[I think between the two of us, we can manage.] 

I swear he was smiling as he said it. I laughed silently as I straightened up.

_You’re probably right._

“Rin…? I’m right here with you, nothing is going to happen,” VY2 said as he moved closer to my side. I reached up and touched his shoulder. He seemed relieved at whatever he saw in my face.

“Piko help you out this time?” he whispered in my ear and I just smiled.

I breathed in again and stepped towards the window. Sophie was already peering through a corner of it. I took hold of the curtain and pushed it aside. The first thing that caught my eye was the huge motorcycle that leaned against one of the trees in the backyard. I couldn’t even imagine two people riding that without it falling a part. Taking another breath, I stopped stalling and looked at them. 

My hand spasmed as I tried to comprehend what I was seeing. Meiko… it was Meiko, pacing back and forth between the armed guards. She still limped but otherwise she looked fine… and completely livid. Sitting quietly near the motorcycle, propping up her chin in her hand, was SeeU. Her tangled blonde hair tied back away from her dirty face. She stared right through the window at me… and smiled.

If I could have I would’ve yelled out their names. I wanted to run and make sure that Meiko was really real. That my sister was really here. I jerked forward, as if there was nothing holding me back, but I dropped the curtain and gripped VY2’s arm, hoping he’d keep me there if I started running. I forced myself to wait. Was the virus moving? Were they targeted? Was I… going to kill them?

I didn’t move as I waited for the inevitable.

[They must not have been there… when the virus first started. They’re safe… from that particular program at least.] He sounded as relieved as I felt. I let my tense muscles relax as I finally heard VY2’s voice.

“—at is it? Do you know them? Rin?” I looked up at his concerned face, both of his hands were holding my shoulders. He must’ve been trying to get my attention for longer than I remembered.

I nodded vigorously, trying to move past him. I had to get to them.

“Wait! Rin, look at me.” His serious tone stopped me quick enough. I stared into his eyes and waited.

“Do you know them?”

I nodded.

“Are they friends?”

I nodded again.

“Will you be safe with them?”

This time I smiled. He looked stunned. I couldn’t believe it either. That I could have this one miracle before I died. That I could see and touch Meiko again before it was over. 

“Let me go,” I mouthed at him, hoping he would understand. His eyebrows scrunched together, searching my face, before his arms dropped away from me.

“Go on then,” he said, winking at me before turning to say something to Sophie. I didn’t hear what, I just moved. My feet somehow taking me to the backdoor. I yanked it open, barely noticing the guards swinging their guns to point at me. 

I hesitated in the doorway and watched as Meiko looked over at me. Taking in the fact that I was really there as I did the same for her. I took a heavy step forward, my one hand reaching.

“Rin!” Meiko shrieked, already dissolving into tears before she ran toward me. I felt a knot loosen in my chest as her arms circled around me, for a second, I could pretend everything was okay. My body shook with silent sobs as I blocked out everything but knowing that my sister was here… and that she could still hold me even after all I’ve done.

[I… wondered what she’d be like… in front of me…] I barely heard Piko say from the back of my mind. I almost asked him what he meant, but I couldn’t focus.

“Thank… thank god, thank god you’re alive, Rin,” Meiko whimpered, stroking my hair. I lifted up my head again, just so I could see her face again. Meiko laughed, trying to brush away her own tears. Slowly her laughter stopped.

“Rin, I… You need to know something.”

I waited, watching her brown eyes, trying to imagine what she would need to tell me. That I couldn’t go back? That everyone else hates me? That she only came to say goodbye? 

“Rin… you didn’t kill Len.”

For a moment my vision was filled with Len, of me shooting him, of him… lying on the floor. Dead. My hand spasmed.

“He survived your… the bullet. It didn’t kill him. He’s… not in good shape,” her voice quiet as I stared at her wide-eyed. “When we tried to leave to find you there were… complications. He wanted to come to you, but he was shot again. I’m sorry, but I’m… I know he’s still alive, he’s still waiting for you, Rin!” Meiko said, her voice cracking.

Len was… alive? I didn’t kill him…?

I desperately looked between Meiko and SeeU who had walked up behind us.

“It’s true, Rin. Len’s alive,” SeeU said, smiling.

It was… true.

Len. He was alive.

My legs collapsed. Meiko half-caught me as I fell and let me slowly get to the ground. I braced my hand on the hard dirt and tried to stabilize myself. It felt like everything was upside down, everything I thought I would do, everything I thought I had left to me. Changed. Len was… alive. Alive!! Living, breathing, alive. I… I could go to him. I could see him again. I could… 

[Rin… I… I’m so sorry, but… while Meiko and SeeU weren’t “targets” Len…. Len would definitely be…] The complete and utter regret in Piko’s voice yanked me back into reality. Of course… Piko was right. I… couldn’t see Len. He needed to stay alive no matter what. Whatever I had to do… I’d make sure he would stay alive.

_Piko, it's enough... to know he's alive. It's okay_ , I said, maybe more for me than for him. I choked back a sob and forced my eyes open. The conversation slowly came back into focus. 

“—talking? Why isn’t she saying anything?”

That was Meiko. She was still in front of me, holding my shoulders. 

“She lost her voice weeks ago, the virus took that first.”

I turned to see VY2 standing behind me. The guards loosely circled us, looking extremely uncomfortable with the situation. A few of them nervously looked behind them, waiting for our noise to finally call attention to this cul-de-sac. 

“Well, looks like we don’t have to kill them. That’s good!” 

Sophie and Marshall had followed us out of the house. Sophie cheerfully patted VY2 on the shoulder. Marshall frowned, crossing his arms as he watched all of us suspiciously. 

“That’s all well and good, but what exactly are you doing here,” Marshall said, his eyes focusing on Meiko. I felt Meiko’s fingers tense on my shoulders.

“We came to fix Rin.”

I whipped around to gape at Meiko. Fix… me? How…?

“You can fix her? You can get rid of the virus?” VY2 moved even closer, his hand pressing against my back.

“Len… He made an antivirus. Using the arm you… left behind,” she said, as if she was unsure how to proceed with everyone staring down at her.

“He said you had programming where you could probably fix it yourself, but I’m here to help, Rin! I might not know robots like Len but I do know machines. We’ll get you sorted,” SeeU said, trying to be encouraging. I was still trying to process everything before I could even properly react to what SeeU said. Len… Len had made a way for me to get back to him. Maybe… I could still be with him after all. Maybe… I wouldn’t have to die…

[The virus… will it really get rid of it?] Piko asked, distantly. I paused for a second.

_What about… you? What would happen to you if the antivirus works?_

[Don’t worry about that.]

_But I_ am _worried about that_ , I felt surprised saying that, but… it was true. 

[Maybe I’ll go back…] he said, his voice small.

_Back… where?_

[To my body.]

His body? I guess I’d always just pictured him as some sort of… spirit or… poltergeist, but… I remember his body. I saw it. That white haired boy with the blue and green eyes. Could he go back there? It didn’t seem like… he wanted to.

“Okay but how did you find _us_? You drove straight for our hideout like you knew where it was,” Marshall said, not interested in Meiko’s first answer.

“Dad…” VY2 protested, but Marshall silenced him with a look.

“We had a tracker, for Rin. We followed that here, we didn’t know where your hideout was,” Meiko answered, bristling under Marshall’s gaze.

“A tracker… for the robot,” he said dangerously. “What’ve we been doing letting her stay here? Who knows what else could track her here, follow some weird signal _here_ to our base. We can’t keep everyone in danger!” 

“It’s not something anyone could make! It’s not like people are _looking_ for some kind of robot signal—“ Meiko retorted back, pulling me closer to her when she felt my body shaking.

“How can you possibly know what—“ Marshall started thunderously, before VY2 cut him off.

“Rin’s our _friend_ , Dad. Me and Caitlin’s _friend_. She’s basically our family now or did you forget that?” VY2 fists shook as he looked up to his dad.  


“It doesn’t matter if she ends up—“

“All right I think that’s quite enough!”

Sophie’s commanding voice cut through the others. She stepped between Marshall and VY2, forcing them apart. Surprisingly, everyone did shut up. I looked up at her, waiting for what decision she would make.

“This matter isn’t for you to decide. I’ve heard enough and for now all three of them are staying. Until they prove they are some sort of danger to us, instead of suspecting they are,” she said coolly as she gave a good hard look to everyone present. “It’s time for us to go back, we’ve made enough of a racket here.”

She turned on her heel and headed towards the front of the house. Leaving no room for any further argument. I carefully let out the breath I’d been holding and Meiko gave me another squeeze.

Marshall looked back at us, his expression unreadable. My hand dug into the ground, as if that could hold me up against his gaze. Finally, he went after Sophie. Meiko helped me to my feet as VY2 came over to us again.

“Here, we’ll take the motorcycle with us, better not leave it here,” VY2 said as SeeU quickly grabbed up her bag. Meiko reluctantly let me go so she could pick up hers as well, but quickly returned to put a hand on my shoulders. One of the guards volunteered to push the motorcycle along, and we were off. We were a pretty large group but somehow we crept around without being noticed. I was jumpier than usual, flinching at every creak and flutter. Too many good things had happened in one day. Something had to go wrong… somehow this would be taken from me. But somehow… it wasn’t.

“This place… is incredible,” Meiko said awed as she saw the amount of people in the warehouse.

“We’ll keep your motorcycle in here, this is mainly where everything is,” Sophie explained. A few people ran up to her to ask her a question but she motioned for them to wait. She turned back to us and continued, “If you want you can stay with Rin in the food warehouse.”

“Wait, why’s she staying there—?” Meiko started before VY2 jumped in.

“It’s… better for her there. And anyway, it’d probably be better to be alone when we’re fixing her.”

“We?” SeeU added innocently, leaning over.

“Well, I know a little bit about mechanics. If anything I can help you with whatever you need,” VY2 answered. Meiko looked over at him suspiciously.

“Maybe it should just be me and SeeU with her,” she said, frowning slightly. I quickly moved in front of her, trying not to concentrate on the huge crowd. I shook my head, pulling VY2 towards me.

“We’re friends,” VY2 said matter-of-factly and I nodded, making sure Meiko understood. 

“You did say something about… that earlier,” Meiko said, recalculating.

“Rin! VY2!”

IA burst out of the crowd, rushing towards us. As she came over I realized Sophie, Marshall and the others had disappeared during the conversation.

IA grabbed onto VY2 and me.

“Why didn’t you get me to come with you? They said something about Rin’s friends coming??” she said in a rush, before looking over and realizing Meiko and SeeU were there.

“Oh! Oh, Rin is it true?” she asked, her eyes bright with tears. I smiled and nodded. IA threw her arms around my neck with a cry.

“Rin I’m…! I’m so happy for you. I’m so…!” IA said into my shoulder as I hugged her back. 

“Another friend?” SeeU asked, winking at me. IA moved back and quickly wiped her tears.

“Hah, where are my manners? I’m IA and thank you, for coming here for Rin,” she said, vigorously shaking Meiko and SeeU’s hands. Meiko finally laughed and I noticed the tension going out of her shoulders.

“I’m Meiko, Rin’s sister.”

“And I’m SeeU,” she added, saluting them. Even VY2 laughed this time.

“All right, all right, let’s get out of here. We’ve got Rin to fix,” he said nudging me with his elbow. I smiled, hope bubbling up through my chest.

“We’re doing what!?” IA yelped. VY2 steered her towards the door as he began explaining what had happened. We followed him outside and towards my building. I spied Sean watching our progress from another warehouse. He vaguely waved before he turned away. I waved back before filing into the food storage warehouse. Our feet echoed through the empty warehouse as we moved through it to get to the back room. Slowly everyone filled up the room. I wasn’t sure how we expecting to get anything done in here.

“Why’re you staying all the way out here… away from everyone else,” Meiko said, looking around at the food, blankets, and pillows scattered in the extra space. 

“It’s because of the virus,” IA said for me. “Being in crowds… leads to problems.”

_Leads to me killing people_ , I thought miserably. Meiko grabbed my shoulder, as if sensing my mood. 

“Well, that’s why we’re here,” Meiko said firmly as she set her backpack down. Inside she pulled out something familiar.

“Is that… an arm?” VY2 said, completely dumbfounded.

“Yeah, Len worked on putting an antivirus inside it that would start working once it’s attached,” SeeU explained as she began to put down her own pack. She turned to me as she unzipped it, “Rin, do you still have those programs that let you fix yourself?”

It had been awhile since I checked them. I grimaced and shook my head. They had been eaten up by the virus.

“We expected as much. Don’t worry I brought some tools along,” SeeU said as she pulled out a smaller bag that clanked when she put it on the ground. “Here, why don’t you lay down so I can get at your arm.”

I felt giddy as I sat down next to her. There was just barely enough room for me to lay down and for her to kneel beside me. She undid the bandages that hid the metal and took a look. VY2 started asking SeeU what else she might need, but I wasn’t listening anymore. I was staring at the arm… my arm. The one I ripped off what felt like so long ago. I wasn’t even sure anymore how long it’d even been. All I could think of was soon this virus would be gone. As if it could sense the end, my hand opened and closed uselessly.

I watched intensely as they started to work. VY2 and IA came in and out with extra items. SeeU worked on attaching my arm while Meiko sat next to me, sometimes stroking my hair, sometimes holding my hand. After the hours rolled by I forced myself to start breathing normally and to stop watching the progress. Instead, I turned to my silent companion.

_Piko… are you really okay with this?_

[Yes.]

I tried not to sigh out loud. He really didn’t want to talk.

_Piko—_

[Rin, stop. You know this is your best chance. You shouldn’t even be worrying about this… I’m the one who’s done all of this to you. It’s… because of me any of this happened,] Piko said, the anguish in his voice so heavy I almost could feel it pressing me down.

_It’s true, but things are different then they were before. You’re different. You’ve been helping me, even before I knew it_ , I paused, _I don’t understand why or what happened, but… you’re my friend._

I could sense Piko taking in those words. As if he’d never heard them before.

_I’m sure VY2 and IA feel the same way._

[…Even… them?]

_Even them._

Piko went silent.

“Rin, I think we’re about ready.”

My eyes snapped open. I looked over at SeeU, and then at my arm. It was attached, but I couldn’t feel it. 

“Once I activate this, it’ll put you into sleep mode and the antivirus will start working through your body. Then when you wake up you’ll be good as new!” she said, confident that it would work out.

I hesitated, looking around at everyone. If I went through with this, I would finally be back to normal, but… would Piko end up being erased? Or would he be sent back to his body? Or… would he still be here stuck with me…

_Piko…?_

[Tell them you’re ready. I want you to go through with this… no matter what happens to me. I… want you to be able to see Len again,] Piko paused, as if he wasn’t sure how to say it, [I want you to be happy… as your friend.]

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the sudden sadness that overwhelmed me. 

_No matter what happens, I hope you’re happy too._

[… Thank you, Rin,] he said with a small laugh.

I turned toward SeeU and nodded that I was ready. 

“See you on the other side,” Meiko said as SeeU began pushing buttons on my arm. I smiled up at her and closed my eyes.

_See you on the other side, Piko._

I heard a faint “I hope not,” before my consciousness was plunged into darkness.


	24. Drifting Chapter Part 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay aGAIN. Couldn't manage to get a proofreader but it got done today so up it goes! Sorry not sorry for that last cliffhanger tho ;D

Drifting Chapter Part 15

-Rin-

“…Welcome back…Nice to meet you…Welcome back…”

What… was that… who’s voice…?

“…Nice to meet you… Welcome back…”

Who… 

_System initiated. W-W-W-W-W—_

I needed… to open my eyes. There was something… important. 

_Loading. Please wait. Loading ER-ER-ER-ER-ER—_

My eyes opened or… I thought they did. Not my real eyes, my inner eyes. The ones I used to look at my computer systems. But… it was different than before. Before I could only look at my systems as if staring into a screen, but now I was standing inside that screen, as if there was a room behind the screen. I looked down at my hands, my… two hands. Quickly, I looked over myself. My blonde hair was straight and clean again, my arms moved perfectly, and a simple white dress covered the rest of me. There wasn’t a hint of metal… of damage. I was… painfully human. 

Tears slipped down my face. I touched my cheeks, trying to understand. I pressed until I could feel the bone underneath.

“Piko…?”

He materialized in front of me. This was the first time seeing him beside me. He only came up to my shoulders, his head tilted down and his white hair covering his eyes. His white dress looked exactly like mine. After the virus, the weeks of torture at his hands, and slowly talking… slowly becoming friends, I’d never imagined him as a child. And maybe he wasn’t really, but right now… he looked so much like a lost child my heart ached.

I reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but he flinched away before we made contact. He looked up, one eye green and one eye blue. Belatedly, I realized I was still crying. I wiped at my eyes but they didn’t stop.

“Rin… I’m sorry,” Piko sobbed, looking away again.

“What… what do you mean?” I asked, trying to reach out again but Piko just shook his head. 

“J-just look around… Can’t you tell it’s gone wrong?” Piko said, gesturing to the black void around us. I looked up at the red messages scrolling by. Windows opening up and closing. They all contained the same word: Error. 

“Len’s antivirus… it didn’t work?”

Piko paused, staring up at the red errors. Carefully he turned back to me.

“Half-way.”

“Half-way…?”

“His antivirus worked halfway. It fixed several of your systems… it was near the end when the virus stopped it. It’s like we’re back at the beginning… when you first got the virus. When you wake up, you’ll be able to move your arms again. You’ll be able to speak,” Piko struggled to tell me the whole thing.

“But eventually… the virus will take that all again, right?” I said, looking down at those hands… my hands, my human hands.

“It’s already started.”

I cringed, wrapping my arms around me. Like a switch went off, I could suddenly see it again. I could see the virus bugs zipping up and down the edges of the black space. Slowly I slumped to my knees. Piko tried to catch me as I fell, but only succeeded in grabbing one of my hands. We stayed there like that, him standing and me kneeling, with our hands connecting us. Quietly, Piko sat down beside me. He left our hands as they were. Maybe he could feel me trembling.

“I have an idea.”

My mouth opened and closed. Slowly I looked at his mismatched eyes.

“What kind of an idea?”

“It’s… ridiculous. It might not work. We might get killed on the way. We might never reach it and even if we _do_ it’s going to be crazy difficult getting in and getting what we need,” Piko rambled on.

“Piko. Just tell me the idea, please,” I said, leaning in. He frowned at me and rubbed his free hand across the tears still streaming down my face.

“Rin… Len’s antivirus might not have gotten rid of the virus but… I know a place we can go where we can get rid of the virus once and for all,” Piko said, watching me as my breathing hitched.

“You know… a place? What do you mean you know a place!?” I shouted as Piko flinched.

“You… should be mad at me. If I’d… understood at the beginning I could’ve helped you, but of course… if I’d known at the beginning, I would’ve never given you the virus.” The heavy regret in his voice pulled away at my anger. I looked at his hand that I still held.

“Piko… I don’t understand what you mean.”

He took a breath, still not facing me. “The place I know… the place we can fix you… It’s where I was made. In Lacov, at a research facility, directly overseen by Luka.”

“Luka…? Who’s Luka?” I asked, trying to process everything.

“You’ve seen her before… in those flashbacks when I was first putting the virus in you. She had the long pink hair… She’s the leader of Lacov…” Piko said, his voice cold with… fear? 

“The… the leader? Why on earth is the leader of Lacov…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

“She’s… she’s determined… to have complete control of Exeria. I don’t think you knew how much trouble your group caused. The smallest of resistance… infuriated Luka, but when there was a group winning against the troops, with no leads as to how to take them down… she was outraged. When Luka eventually got information about you… she was… overjoyed,” Piko said, his voice breaking on the last word.

“What do you mean… overjoyed?” I asked, squeezing Piko’s hand as I felt it beginning to shake. 

“The virus isn’t just here to wipe out your group. It wasn’t even meant to shut you down. It’s second task… was to bring you to her.”

“Bring me to her?!” I gasped out. It was getting harder to breathe with each sentence.

“Rin you’re really… amazing. The robot you… it shouldn’t be possible. It shouldn’t have been possible to put a human soul in a robot,” Piko started, hesitating over every word. My free hand gripped onto the edge of my dress, I felt like I was going to be sick. 

“I’m a robot too. I’m sure you figured that out by now. I was a robot made in that research facility. That facility… it was built to try and discover the Kokoro System.” Piko fell silent and bit his lip. 

“What’s the Kokoro System?” I asked, though I already thought I knew.

“It’s you,” Piko breathed. “A human soul in a robot. An undying body. It’s what Luka wants more than anything. She’s never been able to replicate it and when she discovered that Exeria had. She’d do anything for it. That’s why… that’s why Exeria was chosen out of all the other countries. Luka had… everything already planned, but when the rumors reached her ears… Rumors that Exeria was working on a potentially successful Kokoro System… Everything fell into place for her.”

I almost… couldn’t believe it. How could I be that important? But no matter how I looked at it, it was true. I was nothing short of a miracle. 

“But… what about you? Didn’t you use to be human?” I asked, causing Piko to flinch and look up at me.

“Me…? I was… never human. I’ve always… been a robot. They couldn’t get the soul to stick… and instead got a… they got just me,” Piko said, hardly able to continue.

“But… but you’re not like any robot either! Haven’t you been talking and helping me this whole time? You have thoughts… and feelings just like a human,” I said trying to keep his gaze. He just shook his head. 

“The only reason I’m like this… is because of you. All those weeks of looking through your memories… of seeing you together with IA and VY2… of… really living. Even though it was just… living through you. I finally understood something important. And… I wanted to help you, I didn’t want the virus I’d given you to win, I wanted you to be… happy. It was all… very new,” Piko said, quietly laughing. Suddenly I realized he was crying too. 

“Piko… you’re just like me. You’re human too,” I said, holding up his hand with both of mine. He looked down at our intertwined hands. Right now… we both did look human, completely. Maybe here, in my head, that was true. 

“…Thank you…” was all he managed to get out before ducking his head again. I let Piko stay like that for a moment before I continued where we left off.

“So your idea… is for us to go to this… place that the virus was suppose to take me?”

Piko took a ragged breath. “Yes… the virus was created there and we can also get rid of it there. It will be… extremely dangerous… and it’s the last place you should be… but it’s the only place that can fix you. The… safest place we can restart you.”

“But why didn’t we go there before? Why’ve you never told me this?” I asked, trying to understand his reasoning.

“We would’ve never made it… I’ve been doing what I can to slow the virus. Unfortunately that meant using your own energy for it. You’d be exhausted… but at least you weren’t killing anyone. If we had tried to go before, we would’ve easily been caught or even… exhausted the rest of your life. ” Piko answered and I tried to breathe. That’s why I’d slowly been losing my energy each day. I wasn’t even angry that Piko had done it. I was glad that he’d done what he could. Even if it would have eventually killed me… it would have been better than the virus.

“But now we have a second chance!” Piko said, his eyes bright. “Len’s antivirus! It’s given us a second chance. We can make it now… now that we don’t have to use as much of your energy fighting the virus. We’ll go there, break in, get rid of the virus, and get back out.”

Piko broke off, his eyes dropping again. “But it’s up to you. We might not come back if we go to Lacov. It might be pointless. We could stay here instead. You’ll have more time to spend with your sister and I’ll keep the virus at bay… as much as I can. It’s your decision, I’ll follow whatever you want me to do,” Piko finished and waited.

It was tempting… to not struggle anymore. To spend the rest of my time with Meiko, VY2 and IA, until I… finally died. Suddenly, Len’s face filled my vision. For once, it wasn’t of his dying moments. It was him smiling at me, in one of those rare moments we had to ourselves at the lab. A small moment when we could briefly forget the horrors that lay just on the other side of the wall. I wanted to see that Len again. That smiling Len that I thought I’d never see, never touch, again. Len… I could finally just say his name again. He was alive and doing everything he could to get back to me. And now I finally had a way to make it back to him. I smiled faintly. There never really was a decision to make.

“Let’s go. Let’s do it,” I said with determination, squeezing Piko’s hand. He smiled back at me and stood up suddenly, pulling me with him. It was almost surprising to see how fiercely optimistic Piko looked. I’d never even imagined Piko having that kind of expression. Things had changed so much. 

“All right, the antivirus has already finished. I’ve been delaying fully waking you up so we could talk. When you really wake up, you’re going to have to lie to them. Say whatever you need to so they give us enough time to get away. We’ll take the motorcycle, if we’re lucky they’ll think you’re heading back to the lab. Even if they don’t… they wouldn’t be able to guess where we’re going anyway,” Piko said quickly. 

“Okay, I can do it,” I tried to say confidently, though I couldn’t help but worry if I would be a convincing enough liar. If they thought the antivirus hadn’t worked they wouldn’t let me out of their sight. 

“It’ll be okay, we still have time. Whether it’s today or tomorrow, we’ll find a way out,” Piko added reassuringly. I sighed a little bit and smiled.

“Thanks, Piko. We’ll make it,” I said, making Piko smile again. His smile faded a bit as he stared at my face and brushed a hand across my cheek.

“Why are you still crying?” he asked, decidedly confused. I also reached up, realizing that I had been crying this entire time. 

“I… I don’t know,” I said, trying to wipe away the rest of them. They couldn’t seem… to stop. Were they all the tears I couldn’t cry since I’ve been a robot? And finally now that there is some hope… they all seemed to be rushing down.

“You’re waking up now.”

Piko’s voice was getting fuzzy, I couldn’t quite see him anymore through my tears or was it my vision getting blurry? I could still feel his hand in mine. 

“It might be a bit weird; your body right now. Just be ready.”

My vision really was going dark. Piko’s hand was gone, my hands were gone. My human looking hands. All I could feel were those damn tears on my face. When I wake up, I am going to start over, I’m not going to cry anymore. 

_I’m going to get back to you, Len._

Everything finally went dark and then my eyes snapped open.

——————————————-

“Rin! Meiko she’s awake!”

“Is the virus gone? Did it work? Are you—”

“Rin! Rin!”

“Guys, give her a sec—“

I tried to adjust to the sudden rush in my systems. Everyone seemed louder than I remembered. Everyone seemed so much clearer, like I’d been seeing everything with blurred edges. Had my vision and hearing been going and I hadn’t noticed?

Meiko looked down at me. Had more lines appeared around her eyes while I slept? The others were trying to back away and give me room, or all that they could manage in the small space. VY2 was crouching beside me. His eyes didn’t leave mine. IA and SeeU hovered off to my right, practically pressed against the food shelves. They were all waiting for confirmation. I took a breath, trying to calm my nerves. I had to convince them.

“It’s all right,” I started, startling myself with my own voice. Carefully I pushed myself up to a sitting position… with two hands. How long before I got used to all of this again? And how long… before it all went away.

“So it worked? Len’s antivirus… it worked?” VY2 asked, leaning slightly forward. His face was so open, so hopeful. I wanted to tell him everything. 

“Yeah it… it really worked. Len did it,” I said as confidently as I could. I felt Meiko’s arms wrap around me as she buried her face into my shoulder.

“Rin… I was so worried you wouldn’t wake up,” she whispered as her arms tightened.

“I’m here… Meiko it’s okay. You don’t have to worry,” I said, rubbing her arm. IA reached out and ended up putting a hand on my knee. Tears were silently slipping down her face.

“Rin, I’m so so happy. You’re finally okay. You can be with all of your family again,” IA said and I just smiled, trying to ignore my sinking heart. I almost felt dizzy.

[You’re doing great. Just a little bit more. I promise we’ll get out of here soon,] Piko said. I let go of the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

VY2 suddenly lunged forward to hug me. My mouth dropped open, I could feel him slightly tremble before IA and SeeU rushed forward as well to join the hug. I closed my eyes and tried to hold back the feeling of crying as they told me how happy they were and what we would do next and that everything was okay. God it was all a lie.

Meiko drew away first. I looked up, watching her smile softly at me.

“All right guys. It’s extremely late and I _know_ none of us has slept since we started the antivirus,” Meiko said as the others also let me go.

“Well, I won’t argue with that,” SeeU said, pushing her thick blonde hair out of her face as she sat back on the floor.

“Wait… how long has it been?” I asked, looking around and slowly taking stock of the dark circles they all had. 

“A day… maybe two?” IA said, covering up a yawn with her hand. 

“I think we’re onto day two now,” VY2 amended. I just shook my head. I’d been gone for almost two days… I tried to push down the guilt that rose up in my stomach thinking about them waiting for me for days only to have me run out on them.

“You guys need sleep,” I said, trying not to sound too forceful. If they did go to sleep I could be gone tonight. I could stop lying to them. For once I felt ready to go. I had energy to _move_ again. And we needed to get out soon. 

“Yeah, yeah, we got it,” VY2 joked as he lightly mussed my hair. I tried to keep the smile on my face and not think about how it’d been so long since I’d seen him like this.

“VY2… I know you usually stay here with Rin, but would you mind if I stayed tonight?” Meiko lightly touched my shoulders again.

“Yeah, of course. There’s probably enough room for the three of you. I’ll bunk up with IA’s family tonight,” VY2 said as he stood up and stretched. IA got up and hugged me quickly. I forced myself to let go when she did. I tried not to think it might be our last hug.

“Go-od night,” I said, my mouth snapping shut when I heard my voice skip. God, not now! If they noticed… Meiko and SeeU didn’t hear my voice like that but… VY2 and IA did. I watched them carefully, waiting. VY2 paused for a second but then shook it off. 

“See you in the morning!” IA said, seemingly unaware as they both walked out the storage room together. I breathed out as SeeU got up and pushed aside tools with her feet.

“All right, I’m about to pass out,” SeeU said and Meiko just laughed. She picked up some blankets and threw them over to us as we started laying them down in the space between the shelves. I tried to use only one arm to arrange the pillows before I remembered that there were two now. We finished spreading everything out and Meiko moved over to turn off the battery powered lamps propped up on the top of the shelves. Darkness flooded the room, but I could still see everything perfectly. I’d actually forgotten my mechanical eyes could see in the dark. How many of my systems had the virus eaten away without me noticing? 

I shuddered and Meiko put an arm around me, pulling me onto the blankets. SeeU settled down on the other side of our heads. For a moment I only heard our breathing.

“Tomorrow, we’ll start planning to go home. I’ll get you home to Len,” Meiko whispered, squeezing my shoulder.

“Yes,” was all I could say. It seemed to be enough. Meiko just hummed slightly and went silent. 

I waited, listening to their breathing. Trying not to spring up then and there and make a run for it.

[You did great,] Piko said, sighing in relief. I smiled slightly.

_I’ll wait for them to fall asleep and then we should make a run for the motorcycle,_ I said as Piko nodded in agreement. Somehow I could see him and his movements. I didn’t have to pretend I could see him replying to me like I used to. It was as if there was the world in front of me but also the world in my head, where Piko was. Maybe it was because of the antivirus; what Len had given me. Carefully I opened and closed my new and old hand. 

We stayed there in silence until Meiko and SeeU’s breathing deepened. I looked around the room, trying to decide what I should bring with me. I’d have to be quick and silent. I couldn’t afford to have them waking up yet. 

As carefully as I could I moved out from under Meiko’s arm. She shifted, but just ended up pulling the blanket closer to her. I moved one foot after another until I could reach down and grab SeeU’s bag of tools. I hope she’d forgive me for stealing them, but I’d need them for me and that motorcycle. 

I cradled the bag against my chest and moved agonizingly slowly towards the door. I reached down once more to grab my boots, vaguely remembering how white they used to be when I first got them. They were caked in mud and scuffed now. Softly I tucked them under my arm and finished the long stretch to the door. Opening it just enough to slip through, I was out. It wasn’t until I was outside of the warehouse and further away from that back room, that I was able to really relax. I still had to get the motorcycle, but I’d made it through the first part. 

The cold air blew across my face as I jogged through the dark over to the main warehouse. My bare feet hardly made a sound on the concrete. I didn’t see the lookout, but they must have seen me since the door to the main warehouse opened just as I got to it. The tall woman inside nodded to me as she let me in. I nodded in answer and quickly moved inside. It was dim in the warehouse. I was so used to it being a bustle of activity that it was almost unsettling to see it so still. 

A few feet in I realized I had absolutely no idea where the motorcycle was being kept or how on earth I’d get it out of the warehouse without any questions. I felt a shaking begin to start in my fingers.

[Concentrate on finding the motorcycle first. We’ll figure out the rest as we go,] Piko said, bringing me out of my sudden panic. I started forward again. He was right. I’d figure it out. Somehow we’d figure it out. 

I looked through the warehouse as cautiously as I could, making sure I didn’t wake anyone or call attention to myself. Unfortunately, me just being there called attention to myself. I was so rarely in the main warehouse, let alone by myself. I flinched at every snore, rustle, and whisper. A baby woke up and started crying just as I made it to a closed off space that consisted of the armory. I grabbed at a gun I almost knocked over as the baby’s cries slowly faded off. Finally, there in the back was the motorcycle. 

“T-thank god,” I said before slapping a hand over my mouth. I heard only silence. I sighed in relief and headed over to the motorcycle. It was by itself, propped up on the kickstand. I quickly inspected it and couldn’t help but sigh one more time. It wasn’t locked up or anything, it would start up fine once I could get it far enough away from the warehouse. 

I put the bag on the ground and started pulling on my boots. Now I just needed to figure out how to get it out of here. Would it be best to just start pushing it? Maybe they wouldn’t even say anything? Or if they questioned me, would they believe me if I said Sophie asked me to do this? I tried not to grimace thinking about it as I tied the last lace and stood up.

“Goin’ somewhere?” 

Stifling a shriek I spun around to see Marshall towering over me. I shrunk back, almost knocking the motorcycle over. 

“Are you going somewhere,” he said again, his voice cutting like a knife. 

“Yes,” the whisper barely escaped from my mouth. He frowned and took a few steps forward, trapping me between him and the motorcycle.

“Now, why on earth would you want to do that. Especially after I heard you’re all fixed up like new,” he said, his dark eyes not leaving mine. My breath shortened as I tried to figure out what to tell him. I couldn’t think of a lie, not one good reason for me to be there. The only thing that churned through my mind was the truth. And that I couldn’t let anyone know.

[Wait, maybe you should,] Piko interrupted my frantic thought process.

_What?!_ I practically yelled at him. How could that _possibly_ help?

“I don’t have all the patience in the world—“ Marshall started, but I couldn’t focus on what he was saying as Piko started talking again.

[He’s never wanted you here in the first place. Maybe he’ll help you leave if you convince him.]

_This is insane—_

“Girl…” Marshall growled and I snapped back to him.

“It didn’t work.”

“What?” 

“I’m not… fixed,” I started, taking a breath. “The antivirus they brought. It didn’t work. I’m better than before but it’ll get worse again.” 

Marshall leaned back a bit. Was he actually listening, did he believe what I was saying?

“I’m… a d-anger to everyone here. I’m going to get as far away as I can and never come back,” I said, hardly breathing as I waited for some kind of sign. Marshall rubbed his beard, looking between me and the motorcycle. Quickly I added, “The others don’t know. They would never let me go if they knew. I need to get away so they can be safe.” 

I could almost see the pieces of the puzzle snap into place in Marshall’s mind. He smirked. It was the first real smile I’d seen from him since he was first reunited with VY2 and IA. 

“Well can’t argue with that,” he said, putting up his hands in a shrug. I stood still, not quite believing it as Marshall lightly pushed me aside so he could move the kickstand up and start rolling the motorcycle forward. I froze another moment longer before stumbling after him, grabbing the tool bag before it fell off. 

He led us through the warehouse. No one gave him a second glance. Not even at the door. He simply told the woman who was still there that he was moving it somewhere else and she let him pass. I followed him as he wheeled the motorcycle past the main warehouse and paused to a halt another few warehouses down. 

This warehouse’s door slid open silently to reveal Sean. He pushed up his large glasses as he looked us over. I gave a quick smile, hoping it wasn’t too shaky. I wondered if this was all Sean did. Was he always out here as lookout?

“Rin’s leaving. Make sure none of us stop her on her way out, but don’t get involved if she’s caught by soldiers,” Marshall said, his voice ice that froze my heart. Sean’s eyebrows scrunched together, taking in what he said.

“What’s going on…?” Sean asked, but Marshall just shook his head. 

“You don’t need to know, just do what I said.”

I couldn’t even look over at him. Sean frowned and turned toward me.

“Rin, what’s going on are you okay?” he said, reaching for my arm. I smiled and grabbed his hand. I didn’t deserve any of these friends.

“I have to do this. Marshall’s right. Just let me go, but don’t help me if I get in trouble. It’ll be b-est this way,” I said as I squeezed his hand. He still looked concerned, but he slowly nodded his head. I let go of his hand and he looked back towards Marshall.

“Okay, fine. You better hurry before the night is up,” Sean said, his voice quiet. He gave me one last look before he closed the warehouse door. 

“All right, here,” Marshall said, forcing me to look at him as he handed over the motorcycle to me. His eyes looked black in the night as he watched me. I tried to stand taller under his gaze, but all I wanted to do was run. Maybe if life was different, I wouldn’t have feared him so much. I wouldn’t have any reason to. 

“I trust that I won’t see you again. Good luck,” he said, smiling one last time before he turned around and left me there. I finally let myself slump forward, holding myself up on the handlebars. He didn’t care what happened to me out there as long as I was gone.

[Rin… I’m sorry we had to do it that way but we’ve made it out. We can get out of here,] Piko tried to sound upbeat, but I could see him holding himself together. I drew in a shaky breath, I had to push aside Marshall. I couldn’t let him scare Piko as well. We were about to take the first step forward. 

“L-let’s do this, Piko. We’re going to fix everything,” I said, as I started pushing the motorcycle. 

_Rin, promise me you won’t die._

I almost stopped again in surprise, but I kept on walking. It’d been so long since I’d heard Len’s voice. And someday… if we made it through, if we got rid of the virus, I would be able to hear Len’s voice for real. I would walk to the ends of the earth just for that. 

[I’m with you, Rin. To hell and back.]

I grinned fiercely. We certainly were headed towards hell. And when we meet the Devil… I will take back every single thing she took from me.

_I’m coming, Len._

 

End of Drifting Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drifting Chapter has ended. The next one will be Restart Chapter and the finale of our tale.


	25. Restart Chapter Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long wait on this one! I had to work out exactly how Restart Chapter was going to end lmaooo It's been a long journey I hope you are ready for the last leg of it!

Restart Chapter Part 1

-Len-

I remembered falling. And the bullet punching through my arm. And holding Rin’s hand. But the order wasn’t right, or was it happening all over again? There was a hospital smell that followed me through the swirling memories. I hated it. I hated every time I was brought there when I was a child. Rationally, I knew they were helping. So I could live… live. But every time that smell…

I felt hands on my body and I tried to push them away, anything to get away. Away from them, away from that goddamn _smell_. And god the pain, I was here to die again. My father led me into the hospital and I thought: _he’s brought me here to die._

I was on that bed again, tubes in my arm and I tried not to shake. The doctor leaned down and said something to me that I couldn’t hear. Instead all I could hear was the screaming coming from beyond the door. I tried to tell the doctor but he just shook his head as if this was all normal. Was this normal? I started crying, I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want to die.

Why didn’t I want to die?

_Rin._

The hospital shattered. I was at the park near my house, the one with the rainbow swings. A little girl kneeled in the dirt, crying. The white ribbon in her hair bobbed in the wind.

“Why’re you crying?”

She looked up at me, I’d never seen her before. _If only I could live long enough to see her one more time._

“I-I can’t find my d-dad. I just want my daddy!” she said, hiccuping as she tried to wipe the tears away. I sucked in a breath, trying not to cry as well. Now that she said that I couldn’t help but wonder where my parents were. Was I lost too? _Rin, where are you, where are you, where are you?_

“W-why don’t we go look together then?” I asked, reaching down for her hand. _Did she get her arm back? Is she okay?_

“O-okay,” she said, taking my hand. It was warm. _I never want to let go, Rin. Who knows how far away you’ll go this time._

We started walking, but everything started to go dark. I looked over at that small girl’s tear streaked face one last time before I was gone.

 

I wasn’t sure if my eyes were open. Everything was black, but it didn’t feel like I was still dreaming. I tried to think back to the last night when I was… 

I bolted upright, feeling my chest, my arm. There were still bandages underneath my shirt, but it didn’t hurt. 

“Ouch,” I said, pressing too hard on my chest. All right, so it did still hurt but nothing compared to what it used to be. I tried to look down at my hands, my eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. What on earth _happened?_ How could I be healed? Was I still in the lab? How long had I been dreaming…?

“Len?”

Light flooded in through the doorway. I blinked hard, finally seeing that I was on some sort of mattress on the floor. I looked up to see a figure step through the door and switch on a little lamp besides me. It was Miku, but… she looked like she’d been through hell. Her arm was in a sling and her hair, normally long and in pig tails, was hacked unevenly shorter and laid just brushing her shoulders. There was a bandage across her cheek, but underneath was still swollen. And her eyes. Not just the dark circles but the brokenness.

Miku leaned closer, studying my face and I moved away reflexively. Her face seemed to crumple as she retreated.

“Sorry, I’ll go get Kiyoteru,” Miku said as she started moving away, but I grabbed her uninjured hand.

“No, wait! Sorry, I didn’t mean— well, can you tell me what’s going on? What happened after Meiko and SeeU left?” I said, trying not to let the panic rise in my voice as she pulled her hand away. Did Oliver give us away already? Was it that we got captured? Then why would—?

“Len, calm down. We’re okay right now, we’re still in the lab just… deeper in,” Miku said, looking towards the open door then back at me. 

“Then… Oliver and… why am I like…” I couldn’t quite pull my thoughts together. My hands touched my chest again as if it had the answers. Miku took a step towards me before stepping back again, frowning.

“I’m going to get Kiyoteru, he’ll explain,” she said as she headed for the door.

“Wait! I—“ I tried to say something, but I couldn’t find the words. Miku looked at me, her hand clutching at her arm in the sling.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her eyes no longer looking at me. “I… I told everyone the truth about what happened. About you, about Oliver… I’m… so so sorry.” 

Miku suddenly spun around and went through the door before I could say anything else. I closed my mouth and slowly pushed aside the worn blanket covering me. At least we didn’t seem to be in immediate danger, but how on earth was I like this? I stood up, testing my strength. It didn’t make sense. I looked around the room again, now that there was more light. My teeth clenched and I tried to suppress a shudder as I realized I was in the room where Rin had woken up as a robot. It definitely was… deeper into the lab and a floor lower than we usually were. I hated coming here, it reminded me too much of Rin bleeding out, of not knowing if this was even going to work, of waiting to see if she was Rin… or a robot. 

The machinery was all still in here, plus my bed someone must’ve pulled into here. There were also boxes piled up in the corners and a bunch of odds and ends piled on top of those. I tried not to look at the robot schematics I could faintly see on the walls.

“I’m so glad you’re awake, Len.”

“Kiyoteru,” I breathed, turning around at his familiar voice. He looked a little better than Miku. His nose was probably broken, purple and red splotches spread over it and a single crack was on the lens of his glasses. He walked into the room, my eyes drawn straight to the slight limp he had. 

“What _happened?_ Why are you guys hurt? Why am I _not?_ ” I felt my voice raising as Kiyoteru put a hand on my shoulder. He steered me back over to the mattress and sat down on the edge of it with me.

“First off, everything is fine. We’re not in any danger right now, but there has been a lot of activity around the lab so that we felt it was best to move farther in,” Kiyoteru explained, still keeping his hand on my shoulder. I tried to take a breath. I needed to pull myself together.

“Okay, but what happened to you and Miku? Did soldiers attack the lab? Did Oliver send them?” I asked, trying to slow down, but not very successfully. I gripped my knees, steadying myself.

“No, soldiers haven’t attacked here, but they’ve been watching this area closer. We haven’t heard anything from Oliver, but we have to assume that he has given away the information he’s collected. We’ve been evacuating the lab slowly, there’s only a few of us still here. And as for what happened to me and Miku…” Kiyoteru paused and glanced over at me. “It has to do with why you’re better as well.” 

I resisted the urge to touch my chest again. What had been slowly killing me before only ached now. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. 

“Now I want you to keep in mind, Miku and I did this of our own accord. We knew the risks,” Kiyoteru started slowly before coming to a stop again. 

“Just tell me,” I said, putting my head in my hands, unable to look at Kiyoteru’s weary eyes anymore.

“We… well, you were dying, Len. You’d lost so much blood and you were still so weak from the first gunshot wound. We had to get you medicine, _real_ medicine,” he hesitated again, his hand tightened on my shoulder. “It was Miku’s idea. There’s a hospital here the soldiers control, they take their injured there for their own doctors to work on. So, we broke in with you and managed to find a doctor that could help you. We threatened her at gunpoint… It wasn’t until she finished that we were discovered. That’s where most of our… injuries occurred. We got out, barely. Some of the others waited nearby in a car to get us away faster, although we eventually had to abandon it before finally making it back here. You’ve been recovering here. We decided to wait until you woke up before we moved the last of us out of here…” Kiyoteru trailed off. I stared at the floor as I tried to get it through my head that what Kiyoteru was telling me had all happened. They all could’ve _died_. And I didn’t believe for one second that only Kiyoteru and Miku had gone in. How many of them here had been involved? Had anyone else gotten hurt? My fingers pressed onto my head. Kiyoteru wasn’t about to tell me the whole story so I would have to leave it for now. 

“How long have I been out?” I said, my voice thin as a razor.

“I don’t know precisely how long but a few weeks. You have woken up many times before, but most of the time you were feverish so I don’t expect you to remember,” Kiyoteru said as my hands balled into fists. Kiyoteru dropped his hand away and turned toward me, “Len, you know… we just wanted to save you. I know you are probably furious with us for taking that risk, but I would do it again, every time.” 

I sighed. My hands slipped away from my head. I couldn’t stay mad at him. If it had been me… I would’ve taken that risk as well. Slowly I leaned over onto Kiyoteru and I felt his arms encircle me. We stayed like that for a moment before Kiyoteru pulled away. He ruffled my hair then stood up.

“I’m going to get some food for you. I’m sure you’re hungry,” he said, finally smiling. I gave him a crooked smile back.

“Yeah, I’m definitely hungry.”

“Okay, stay here and keep resting. I will be right back,” Kiyoteru said as he limped out of the room, leaving the door open. I slumped back on the bed, wondering how on earth any of this happened. I should be working on robotics, going home every night to my family, and taking Rin out on dates. Not fighting this war, wondering if any of us would even survive this, and not knowing if Meiko and SeeU had reached Rin. 

I thumped my fist onto the mattress and pulled myself up. If I sat here any longer I’d drive myself insane. Kiyoteru had told me to stay but… I’m sure it would be fine if I walked the hallway at least. There wasn’t enough space in the room for any good pacing.

Carefully I walked into the hallway. It was dim, but I could see enough to not trip over anything. 

“Len…?”

I spun around to see the dark outline of Kaito, holding a flashlight. For a second I was just relieved to see him. Oliver hadn’t killed him, though I could see his right arm was in a makeshift sling as well. 

“Len, you’re awake! Are you feeling okay?” Kaito said as he stumbled toward me.

“I’m fine,” I said coldly, making Kaito flinch. I hadn’t forgotten the part he played in all of this. He slumped a bit, but took another step toward me.

“I know I screwed up, but I want to make things right, for both you, Meiko, and… Rin,” Kaito said haltingly. I gaped in surprise for a second before I quickly closed my mouth.

“What exactly are you saying?” I asked. Kaito gulped and then met my eyes determinedly.

“I want us to go and find Meiko and Rin!” Kaito shouted out, making me blink in surprise. He reached forward and put his good hand on my shoulder, his blue eyes looking intensely into mine. “I was a complete idiot. I didn’t realize how far Miku was willing to go. I just… I just wanted Meiko to be safe. I really thought that… she would die if she looked for Rin. I should’ve… just believed in you both.” Tears dripped from Kaito’s eyes and I felt my resolve melting. 

“Well, it’ll be better than going by myself,” I said with a small smile. Kaito’s face lit up and he gave my shoulder a shake.

“Great! That’s great! Okay I’ve already started gathering what we’ll need, there’s a car that I’ve found when—“

“Kaito, wait,” I said, interrupting him. I could already feel the energy I had before draining from me. Kiyoteru was right… I should’ve just waited and rested. “Can we do this… later? Sorry I’m not 100% right now.”

“Oh, yeah of course. Here I am rambling on when you’ve just woken up,” Kaito laughed sheepishly as he rubbed at his blue hair. “I’ll get things ready and we can talk later about leaving.” 

“Sounds good,” I said with a smile. Somehow… we’d make it to Rin. And Kaito would see how the antivirus worked and that Meiko was safe with Rin. And I would finally be with Rin again…

“Thanks, Len,” Kaito said quietly before he turned and went back down the hallway. I watched him for a second before I went back into the room. Gently I settled myself onto the bed and let myself think. I was well enough to get to Rin. I was going to make it to Rin. I will get to see her back from the virus and we’ll finally be together. 

I let my eyes close, just letting myself imagine what I would say when I saw Rin again.

 

-Rin-

I watched the soldiers jerkingly move between the buildings of the empty town. The three I was following knocked down doors, swinging their flashlights around and pretended to check for survivors. Instead they just took another drink of the alcohol they’d stolen from an abandoned liquor store earlier today. It was pointless, even in their drunken state. This town was empty except for the soldiers… and me. I had watched them come into town the day before and waited for the perfect chance to catch some of them alone. I just needed to steal their guns.

[Figures we’d forget something,] Piko said, shrugging.

I grimaced as I crept along the dark alley. It really should have been something obvious we’d need to take with us. Sure, I was basically a weapon myself but if I really wanted to be safe… I needed a gun. 

A burst of laughter brought my attention back to them. I checked my scanners for their heat signature. It was somehow still working, but I was sure that was the next thing to go. The soldiers were the only thing in the area. They’d finally moved far enough away from the other groups that any noise they made would go unnoticed. I peered around the edge of the building and watched as the tallest one stumbled out of the store they had just busted in. It looks like they found more beer. 

I tried not to make any audible noises. These soldiers were lucky no one was living here or they all would’ve been killed. No one would’ve passed up a chance like this. Carefully I leaned back into the shadows. They were slowly making their way towards me, I just needed to wait for them to reach this corner. I looked down at my hands and curled them into fists. One that looked human and one that did not. I would need to be fast and knock them out quick before the virus even processed them as a threat. My right arm was completely mine, but my left was already starting to twitch again. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the jittery feeling in my hand.

[It’ll be okay, you’re not alone,] Piko said quietly and I breathed again. I can do this. We can do this.

I could hear the thud of the soldiers feet and their too-loud voices. They didn’t care who heard them. Well, they’d regret that in a few moments. 

“Man, seriously the only thing that would make this better would be some—“

The first came into view and I slammed my fist into their mouth. They fell onto the street as the other two watched with their mouths hanging open. I leapt at the one to my left, she had enough sense to duck my first blow, but she fumbled the gun at her waist, spinning out of her hand and onto the street. I brought both my fists down on her head and she crumpled like the first. 

_Bang!_

I heard the shot before I felt it pound into my back. I stumbled forward and tripped over one of the other unconscious soldiers, my head slamming against the ground. _Shit, shit!_ My vision was glitching, but I could see one thing.

**THREAT**

[Rin, quick!] Piko yelled, but we were already out of time. My body, no longer in my control, rolled away as another shot narrowly missed me. I snapped to my feet, the glitching finally stopped just in time to see the soldier’s eyes widen in horror. I cringed, knowing that he could see that I wasn’t human. He could see the exposed metal on my hand, he could see my red eyes following him in the dark, he could see my too-fast movements. 

My left hand shot forward, slamming the gun out of his hand and grabbing at his throat. He gave a strangled yelp as his hands dragged at mine, unable to pry it away. _No, no, no!_ I didn’t want to kill him! I tried to pull my rogue left hand with my right.

[I’m trying, I’m trying…!] I heard Piko mutter frantically. I yanked at my hand again but only succeeded in knocking the soldier onto his knees, his movements getting weaker. I opened my mouth to tell him to run, but no words came out. What was I going to do? I couldn’t have him running off! If they knew I was here before I could get a head start… there were too many things that could go horribly wrong. So, I was going to let him die? It shouldn’t matter, I shouldn’t care, he wasn’t innocent. 

His eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he went limp in my hand. I dragged in a breath, my hand shaking as I stared at him. Suddenly my left hand opened, letting him fall back onto the ground.

[Check… check his pulse, I think I convinced the virus that he was already dead, but… but he still might be alive,] Piko said, gasping for breath. Quickly, I reached down for his wrist and waited. It was there, he was still alive. 

Carefully I stood up, trying to ignore my right arm trembling. How many people have I killed since this all started? Shouldn’t this be getting easier?

[Rin… I know you didn’t want to kill anyone this time, but… next time you’ll have to be prepared—] Piko started.

_I know… I know…_ I interrupted him as I forced myself to move and pick up the guns.

[It’s the only way for us to get through this. It’s going to get worse the closer we get,] he said. He sounded exhausted. I watched briefly as he flitted through some of my files before I shoved the guns into the bag.

_Piko, next time don’t stop the virus. If we’re up against the enemy just let it go, I’ll be fine. It’s just… been awhile since I’ve killed anyone._

[Rin, you don’t have to—]

_No_ , I said, zipping up the bag and slinging it over my shoulder. _It takes a lot, right? To stop it. We have to conserve whatever energy we have left for something more important than…_ I couldn’t finish the thought.

[It’s okay. I understand,] Piko said, so I didn’t have to. I took one last look at the unconscious soldiers before I turned and started running back to where I’d hidden the motorcycle. I checked my sensors. It looked like no one had heard the gunshots, it still might be awhile before they were found or woke up. The road was empty, except for those already dead and left behind cars. 

[It’s going to be okay, Rin. Soon we won’t ever have to worry about the virus. We’ll break into Lacov, restart you, and then you can see Len,] Piko said, trying to sound upbeat, but I could see the way he shivered every time he talked about Lacov or more specifically… Luka. 

_You mean_ we _can see Len_ , I corrected him. He looked up in shock and I quickly continued, _That is… I mean if you want to come with me… after it’s over._

Piko opened his mouth to say something before closing it and letting his hair cover his mismatched eyes. He was silent so long that I thought he wouldn’t answer.

[Yeah… yeah, I want to come with you,] he said quietly, then slowly looked up and smiled. It was so rare seeing Piko smiling that I couldn’t help but smile back.

_You know, you look really pretty when you smile_ , I said and giggled a bit when I saw his mouth drop open.

[What?] he said, still stunned. I laughed again and kept on running through the dark streets.


	26. Restart Chapter Part 2

-VY2-

“She’s gone.”

For a moment I didn’t understand. I stared into Meiko’s frantic eyes and tried to pull my thoughts together. How could she be gone? Rin was just… here. She was just fixed. Everything was finally coming together. 

“What do you mean she’s gone?” I repeated helplessly. Meiko suddenly raised her hand, but I didn’t even realize she was going to hit me until SeeU dragged Meiko’s hand down.

“ _Meiko!_ ” SeeU whispered harshly. Meiko looked down at SeeU, her eyes widening before she turned a shade of red.

“Sorry, sorry… but when we woke up she was gone! And it was hard enough just getting over here to this damn building without a million people trying to stop me,” Meiko said, her hands balled into fists at her side. I looked at them warily, but at least she wasn’t swinging at me any more.

“They said when we came over here that Rin wasn’t here either,” SeeU added, one hand still holding onto Meiko’s arm, “And my tool bag was gone. Rin’s gone.”

I scanned the open space of the building as if I would see her walking along or leaning against a wall. She couldn’t have left; she had no reason to leave. 

“You don’t think she would’ve left to see Len…?” I started but even as I said it I knew I was wrong.

“Rin’s not like that, she wouldn’t have done that,” Meiko said, the panic rising in her voice. I grabbed her shoulders, trying to steady her.

“Okay, wait. She could still be here. Maybe she’s… with IA, or… helping someone out with something,” I said, trying to convince both of us, but it felt like a lie spread thin. Meiko and SeeU looked at each other, and I continued, “Let’s ask around again if anyone’s seen Rin or knows where she is. I’ll go look for IA.” 

“All right… all right,” Meiko said, closing her eyes for a moment before looking up at me. I tried not to flinch at the desperate look in her eyes. She already assumed it was pointless— that there was no use looking. I felt my nails bite into my palm as I forced myself to turn away and start walking. Rin wouldn’t leave us. She wouldn’t do it like this. Didn’t she stay with us the entire journey here? Even when she begged us to let her leave? I shivered. No, I shouldn’t… I can’t think about that. She didn’t have a _reason_ to leave anymore. So why was she _gone?_

It didn’t take long to find IA; we couldn’t afford privacy here. I headed to the spot on the floor where she and her family slept on. Only IA and her mom were there, and it was still early enough that they were both sleeping. I looked around. I tried to ignore the stabbing feeling in my chest—Rin’s absence a knife—before kneeling next to IA. 

“IA.” The hoarseness in my voice surprised us both. IA jerked awake, her eyes blinking as she tried to focus on me.

“Wha-what? What’s happening?” she asked, grabbing my arm. 

“Have you seen Rin today? Or in the night some time after we left her?” I said, avoiding her first questions. 

“No, I… I’ve been sleeping this whole time,” she said as her eyes started to widen. “Is Rin… where is she?”

“We don’t know, Meiko just came up to me suddenly saying that Rin wasn’t there when she woke up. They think Rin… left,” I said, trying to stay calm. She could still be here.

“But she couldn’t have left!” IA shouted, echoing my thoughts. 

“Honey…?” IA’s mom said drowsily.

“I’ll be back, Mom,” IA said as she scrambled out of her sleeping bag, still wearing her clothes from yesterday. I stood up as IA yanked on her sneakers.

“Meiko and SeeU are asking around inside, so we should ask whoever was on watch last night and this morning. They might still be at the watch posts,” I said, trying to stay calm. Still, I could feel my anxiousness bubbling up, making my hands jittery. 

“Caitlin, what—?”

“Sorry, Mom, I have to go!” IA said, walking ahead of me as her mom tried to reach over to her. I looked back briefly before quickly catching up with IA. We walked silently through the groups of people and families waking up for the day. IA reached the guard at the door first.

“Have you been at this door all night? Did anyone leave last night and not come back? Or did—“

“Hey, guys.”

I whipped around to see Sean walking over to us— or less walking and more shuffling toward us. He gave a half hearted wave before letting his hand drop. I tried to meet his eyes, but he kept his trained to the ground.

“Sean,” I said, my mind making connections, “Were you on watch last night?”

IA turned at that remark. Sean fidgeted before finally looking into my eyes.

“Can we talk over here for a sec?” Sean said, pointing to a small bit of lone space by some bins. 

I nodded and followed him slowly over as IA quickly apologized to the guard she was just talking to. Sean stopped once we were far enough away. We both watched silently as he adjusted his glasses again and then sighed.

“I saw… something last night,” Sean started and stopped again. His eyes shifted around as if he thought someone would spot him. IA put a hand on his shoulder. He let out another shaky breath.

“Okay, okay, I… I saw Rin leave last night.”

It felt like an electric shock went up my spine. Even though that was almost the only possibility left, it didn’t feel real until he said it. Rin was gone. She _left._

“What?” I said, my mouth not caught up with the rest of me.

“She… she headed out of here with a motorcycle and your… your father,” Sean faltered, seeing the expression on my face, but with another look around the warehouse he continued on, “It seemed really weird, they… she wouldn’t tell me what was going on. I tried to ask her, I really did! But she… she said she ‘had to do this,’ and that it was… ‘better this way.’”

“Rin…” IA whispered, letting go of Sean’s shoulder and grabbing onto her braided hair. I could see the shaking in her fingers. Was I shaking too?

“Later, he came back… your father came back and told me I better not tell anyone about this. That I didn’t see Rin, that I didn’t know what happened to the motorcycle. He was, ah… very convincing,” his eyes darted to his leg and back and certain things clicked into place in my mind. The way he had walked over to us… my father…

“He did wh—?” I tried to form the question but Sean quickly cut me off.

“It doesn’t matter, I… I had to tell you guys, I had to let you know. We’re friends, right? I.. I had to,” Sean rambled on. He couldn’t stop looking around the warehouse and I felt a heat rising up in me I wasn’t accustomed to directing at family. I’d never seen Sean like this, not in our whole time here. Confident, sarcastic Sean. The war couldn’t break him but… my dad could?

“Like _hell_ it doesn’t matter!” I shouted, trying to resist the urge to grab Sean by the shoulders. My feet started moving before I made the decision to move to find my father, but Sean lurched forward and snatched at my arm, using what little weight he had to keep me in place.

“Don’t…! Don’t go to him don’t… please, please don’t tell him I told you, just… go find Rin,” Sean begged. I looked at his leg and then looked away. 

“All right. Fine, _fine_ , I won’t go to him.”

“Thank you… thank you, VY2,” Sean said breathlessly, his hand dropping away from my arm. IA stood beside us still, her hands covering her mouth. I didn’t look at her eyes. 

“Hey, uh… what’s going on?”

I turned around to find SeeU, with Meiko not far behind. My eyes caught Meiko’s as I watched her look meaningfully between me, IA, and Sean. They must have noticed what was happening and came over. I tried to stop the shaking in my hands.

“We need to get out of here,” I said to the two of them. I carefully squeezed Sean’s shoulder before striding toward the door. Meiko followed after me without hesitation, but IA quickly whispered something to Sean, taking his hand, and then jogged to catch up with us. I didn’t- couldn’t- look back at Sean, all his weight on his right foot.

“What’s going on?” Meiko hissed into my ear as we passed through the first guarded door. I quickly told her what Sean had told us as we made our way to the food storage warehouse. I walked in, almost hoping she would be in here, that this was all some stupid mistake, but it was empty. She should’ve been here. She should’ve been smiling. We should’ve been talking about going back to Len.

“So she’s… really gone?” SeeU asked, lightly touching her robotic cat ears, as if she hadn’t heard right.

“But _why?!_ ” Meiko shouted, kicking at one of the sleeping bags. “Why would she leave? Did your father _make_ her leave?!” She rounded on me, as if I was my father instead.

“No, no, that just doesn’t make sense,” I said in a voice I didn’t recognize. I was starting to hate him. I was starting to _really_ hate him. “Why would he make her leave when she was already planning to leave? When me and IA left, we told our families what happened; we told them that you’d be going back.”

“What if he didn’t want you going with her? Forced her out before you could leave too?” Meiko said menacingly. I didn’t back away, I could take any fire she was going to spit at me. I was on fire too.

“When could he have even done that?” I bit back, “Are you telling me he got into here at night and then somehow forced a heavily armed robot out of here without you guys waking up?”

“What if it wasn’t forced, what if—?” Meiko yelled, but I quickly cut her off.

“There’s no _reason_ , there’s just absolutely no _reason_ for her to go with—“

“Maybe there was a reason.”

Meiko and I both stopped yelling and looked at SeeU. She and IA had been silent through our shouting match until now.

“What do you mean a reason—?” I started before SeeU stopped me with a steely look.

“We need to _think_. We need to think of what would push her to leave. We need to think about something that could’ve happened yesterday that would make her to…” SeeU suddenly trailed off, her eyes widening. My breath caught in my throat. Yesterday, yesterday the only thing that happened was Rin waking up, cured of the virus. She told us she was cured.

_Unless she lied._

“The… the antivirus… it didn’t work,” I said, struggling to form the words.

“But… but how could that be? Wasn’t she better?” asked Meiko in a rushed voice. “She could talk to us again for god’s sake,” she insisted, but she was thinking it too. I tried to think back, tried to analyze everything she told us. Trying to find something that could’ve informed me in time, but I’d just been too damn happy, too blinded by success. Then one thing snapped into focus.

“IA… IA she-… her voice, it skipped. It skipped, didn’t it? When she said good night?” 

IA’s mouth dropped open as she remembered it too. 

“It did,” she said, unable to say anything else. 

“What does that mean?” Meiko said.

“The virus used to… when she talked, she’d stutter, or it’d cut off or repeat words, before she lost her voice entirely,” I said quietly, the truth settling into my bones. 

“That could mean _nothing_ ,” Meiko said desperately, not wanting to accept that Rin was falling apart again. While we waited for the antivirus to run through Rin, Meiko had asked IA and me to tell her what had happened during the time Rin was with us. She knew how bad it had gotten, she could hear it under my words, even when I tried to cover it up. Even now, I couldn’t stop thinking about those days when Rin hardly moved at all, unable to speak to us. I had wondered if she’d talked to Piko when she couldn’t talk to us…

I went absolutely still as the horrifying realization washed over me. I had forgotten Piko this whole time.

“Piko,” I said a bit breathlessly. IA gasped beside me. 

“What?” SeeU asked. IA quickly filled her in while I stood wracked with guilt. I had completely forgotten about Piko. Didn’t even _think_ about what might happen to him if the antivirus worked. Maybe it hadn’t completely worked because of him- not purposefully, but just because he was there. My hands curled into fists thinking about those quiet and painfully whispered conversations as Rin tried to explain Piko to me, tried to explain how he’d infected her with the virus and plagued her mind for weeks, and then when he suddenly… stopped. 

“Friend,” Rin had whispered to me. Piko was her friend, so he was ours too. 

Some kind of friend I have been.

“So there was just some kind of… robot consciousness stuck in Rin’s head?!” Meiko was practically hysterical by now, wringing her hands.

“Meiko, focus!” SeeU said as she grabbed for Meiko’s hands. Meiko looked down at her. “They said he was their friend. He was helping Rin.” SeeU explained. Meiko stood for a moment before letting out a ragged breath.

“Sorry, sorry,” she dragged in another breath and slumped to the floor. “It’s been a day, hah.”

“Though maybe,” SeeU started, rubbing her nose as she thought, “Maybe the reason Rin left was because of Piko. If he was the one who gave her the virus… maybe he knows something about getting rid of it.”

“Or a place,” IA added as she slowly reached for me. I moved a bit closer as her cold hands circled around my arm. She looked up into my eyes. “A place that was too dangerous for us to go to,” she added, seriously. I grimaced, it sounded like something Rin would do.

“Ugh, I’m so _stupid!_ ” SeeU practically screeched. We all flinched away at the sudden outburst. She dove down onto one of the bags pushed up against some boxes of rice. “How could I have _forgotten_ ,” she said as she rifled through her bag, throwing things out of it as she went.

“What is it?” Meiko asked, moving over as if to help, but SeeU already had something in her hands.

“She didn’t take it!” SeeU said excitedly, waving the item in front of Meiko’s face.

“Shit, we _are_ idiots,” Meiko shook her head in disbelief.

“What is it?” I repeated Meiko’s question and SeeU leapt up and showed me.

“It’s the tracking device we used to find Rin! And we… completely forgot about it,” SeeU ended apologetically. Hope surged through me. The tracker! We could find Rin, we could find her. 

SeeU flipped a switch on the small square screen. It blinked into life, showing some simple radar circles with a dot in the far left corner of it. In the bottom right there were some numbers.

“Is that how far away she is?” I asked while lightly touching the dot on the screen. 

“Yeah,” it was Meiko who answered this time, “and we better pack now if we want to catch up to her anytime soon.” She was already throwing things back into the bag SeeU had taken apart. I looked over at IA and she smiled at me. I felt a release in my chest, as if my heart hadn’t been beating properly until now. Suddenly there was a floor under my feet again.

“If you guys get your stuff in here, we’ll get the rest,” I said as I pulled my bag out that I’d shoved behind some of the food containers. It sagged, mostly empty but for the few belongings I didn’t want to leave behind. After I started staying here with Rin, I stashed it here. It seemed safer. “Make sure to grab up those sleeping bags, ‘cause we’ll definitely need those. We’ll meet you back here and then we’ll have to walk a bit to get to the truck we have.”

“Go, go,” Meiko said, not unkindly, as she shooed us with her hands. We did as she said and hurried off towards the other warehouse. IA was listing off things we would need and trying to decide how far we could get by just taking what we needed without telling anyone in charge. Once inside, I scanned around for Sean, but I didn’t see him anywhere. What I did see, however, was one of IA’s parents, probably looking around for her.

“IA… you know, you don’t have to go with us. You could stay here with your family,” I said, but IA was already shaking her head.

“They’re your family too, you know,” she said softly, letting go of my arm. I sighed and patted her head.

“I know.”

She nodded and gave me a little push. I watched her walk toward her mom, my aunt, and I started moving in the direction IA had pushed me. I went to get some guns first. The trick was to walk and take things like you were supposed to be doing it. No one even gave me a second look as I threw a few into my duffle bag, checking the safety as I took them. I pushed some boxes of ammo inside; they bounced a little bit off my worn sketchbook at the bottom of my bag. Internally, I went through the list IA had described to me in my head, slowly filling up the bag to match. When I’d finished, I reluctantly went over to the space where my dad slept. It was right where IA’s parents, the rest of our family, slept. I breathed out. He wasn’t there. I almost wanted him to be there. 

Carefully, I zipped open one of the two bags that were full of mine and my dad’s clothes. I pulled out a jean jacket, a few other sweaters, and underwear. It was going to get cold out soon. IA walked up to me, her own backpack on her shoulders, an extra bag and a sleeping bag under her arms. She had tied up her fly-away and tied her own green coat to her waist.

“I told my parents,” she said, shortly. Her eyes were a bit red, but I didn’t say anything about it. Instead I just gave her hand a squeeze and she sighed. “Go ahead and meet up with Meiko and SeeU,” she continued. “I have one more thing to do.”

“Got it,” I said, taking her extra bag and heading toward the exit of the warehouse. I looked around for Sean again, but still didn’t see him. Someone else called over, asking if I was going out for a supply run. I nodded and gave some vague answer as I kept on walking. 

The cool air hit my face as I made it outside. The sky was a clear blue and I wondered briefly if Rin and Piko were looking at the sky at all. For a moment I stopped. This wasn’t how this morning was supposed to be. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go. We should’ve all woken up this morning and just enjoyed being together, enjoyed knowing that something went _right_ for a change. When would things ever…

I didn’t finish the thought. It seemed too impossible. We would always be on the run like this. There wasn’t a future. There would be no art school. 

The shaky breath I let out sounded so pathetic I almost had to laugh. 

Rin. For now, concentrate on getting Rin back, or helping Rin or just… _finding_ Rin… and Piko. I can worry about the rest of it later. Just concentrate on what you can do. 

A heavy hand fell on my shoulder, jolting me out of my thoughts. 

“Where the _hell_ do you think you’re goin’.” It was my dad, my… father, who had hurt Sean. 

“I’m _going_ wherever the hell I want to,” I said, roughly shrugging off his hand. My father frowned at me. I looked him steadily in the eye and tried to remember the last time I thought he was tall. 

“I forbid you to go after that thing. You’re staying here,” my father growled, stepping closer to me.

“You know what, just _fuck you_ ,” I spit at him, unable to put the words I really wanted to say to him together. It wasn’t enough, but it felt good to watch his expression switch from anger to hurt.

“Don’t you talk to me like that—“ he started, trying to grab for me but I stepped around him.

“I can, I will, and I’m going now.”

And as easily as that I left him there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was pretty late as well, I've started looking for jobs so that's taking up a lot of time! If anything I'm thinking about using NaNoWriMo to write out the entirety of the ending and then just post the rest of the chapters all together XD So we'll see what happens! At the very least... I'm trying to finish it this year. Thank you again for reading and I hope you'll stick with Rin and Len until the end!


	27. Restart Chapter Part 3

-Len-

I was losing track of time. It was slipping through my fingers. It didn’t exist. It could be day or night and I wouldn’t even know. I woke up, I recovered, I worked on a new tracker, I prepared, I slept. Time didn’t mean anything, except that I was losing it. 

Carefully, I set down my tools and let my head fall into my hands. I didn’t have to look around the room if I did that. Now that we couldn’t be on the upper levels anymore, I was back to my old workplace. I used to be in this room all the time, back when I thought robotics were fun, instead of life or death. I used to like this room until I had Rin’s dead body in it. 

There had been no word from Meiko and SeeU. Kaito and I still planned on going after them, but we had discussed the possibility that they’d reach us before we could leave. I almost hoped it would be that easy; that I would look up one day and she’d be standing in the doorway. But we had no way of knowing how far away Rin was or if they even reached her yet. It felt like they should’ve gotten to Rin by now. It’d been weeks now, or… was it months… I had no idea how long it had been. But I couldn’t escape the feeling that something was wrong, that it had been too long, that we were running out of time, that I should know if it was day or night outside. 

My fingers rubbed into my hairline. Maybe I was going crazy.

The tracker was finally finished. I had made two more backups of the antivirus. I didn’t get winded walking around anymore.

My hand hovered over the tracker. I should just turn it on. The only possible thing it could show me is what direction she was in. It wouldn’t show me where she was. It wouldn’t show me if Meiko and SeeU were with her. It wouldn’t show me how she was doing. 

It wouldn’t show me if the antivirus worked.

It worked. It had to _work_.

I forced a breath out and quickly hit the button before I could wait any longer. It started up slow, but the radar showed up on the screen. A dot blinked sluggishly. It worked. There was Rin. I could follow this to Rin. I would reach Rin and everything would be fine. She would be fine.

I switched off the tracker and set it back down. One by one I put the rest of my tools into the bag I had kept nearby. It was already half full with electronic parts and wires I had been collecting around the lab for the trip, just in case I needed something for Rin. The rest was some extra clothes and other useful items we’d need while traveling.

Everything was packed up. I put the tracker in a makeshift fanny pack that I slung sideways across my chest. I wasn’t taking anymore chances after Oliver. Everything important had to be kept on me at all times. The first USB with the antivirus was in there, the second one tied around my neck. Just in case.

I pushed away from the desk, dragging the bag with me and putting it on my shoulder. If I was lucky I wouldn’t have to come in here again, but I hadn’t been lucky in a long time. Quietly, I doused the battery-powered lamps around the room, leaving only one lit, as it was coming with me. I walked out of the workroom, letting the lamp light my way down the hall. 

My steps echoed off the walls and I tried not to wince at how empty it sounded. A lot of the kids here had already left. After Oliver… we knew it was only a matter of time before he got his information to Lacov. He would use it to destroy this place. Eventually we would all have to get out of here. Once Kaito and I left, Miku, Kiyoteru and the rest who stayed behind would go to the other groups to warn them. Then this lab would be empty. Our safe haven, where all of us had come together to fight back… it would be gone. I let out a sigh. I thought I wanted to get out of here and now I’m reminiscing. Maybe Oliver hadn’t even made it out of the country. Maybe Lacov didn’t know the locations of every single resistance group in the city. Maybe we would be okay, but we had to be ready just in case… just in case.

“Len, is it time already?” 

I jumped, missing the first step in the staircase I had just reached. I looked up and saw Kiyoteru standing at the top of them. His clothes were more bedraggled than usual, but at least the bruises on his face were completely faded away. 

“Ah… yeah, yeah it’s time,” I said as I started up the stairs again, my heart still beating fast. Kiyoteru sighed once I reached the top and put a hand on my shoulder. My eyes narrowed, but Kiyoteru quickly cut in before I could say anything.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you not to go. It’s just…” he paused for a moment, adjusting his glasses. “I feel like something is wrong.”

My chest felt tight and I resisted the urge to press my hand against it. I’m not sure what expression Kiyoteru saw on my face, but his hand squeezed my shoulder as he quickly looked away.

“I’m sorry, that was rude. Rin’s strong. I’m sure she’s fighting her way back to your side as we speak,” he said, finally looking back at me with a smile. It kind of made my heart ache. 

We walked the rest of the way to the outer rooms together. Kiyoteru kept up a constant stream of hushed talk, going over again what we’d been discussing for days. I let him talk without answering, a pattern we’d fallen into in the past weeks. I was sick of making plans, of talking about what we’d do next, of trying to convince myself that anything in a world like this was going to work. I had started off so confident, so sure, but time passed. Time passed and it was always night. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was too late; that I’d had a chance and I missed it. Kiyoteru talked and I was relieved I didn’t have to. If I said some things out loud, it felt like they’d come true. 

Kiyoteru and I turned off our lights as we got to the last door. We couldn’t afford any light being seen from the windows, not when we were so close to getting everyone out of here safely. I shuddered thinking about Iroha still in the lab. She wouldn’t leave with the earlier groups, not while Kaito was still here. We all needed to get out of here soon.

I pushed through the door, leaving my light outside. Kaito was already here, a bag by his feet and a gun in his hands. I could hardly see him in the small amount of moonlight coming in through the window. He was dressed for the trip, dark clothes and the sturdiest boots we could find (they still needed to be duct taped in a few places). We couldn’t find boots for me, but the pair of sneakers I had were almost like new. The dark grey sweater I wore was oversized but I hoped it made me as hard to see in the shadows as Kaito’s outfit. 

“Hey, getting excited?” I whispered, smirking half-heartedly. Kaito just shook his head and smiled lopsidedly. There was a small sound behind me and I looked around just in time to see Miku step into the sliver of light. My eyes were drawn to her chopped hair again. It had been evenly cut since the first time I’d seen it, but it was still a shock. Some times I wanted to ask how it happened, but I didn’t dare. Miku kept walking towards me and handed me the bundle she was holding onto.

“It’s a jacket,” she said, her voice barely audible. “It’ll be getting cold soon and this one is still in good shape.” 

“Thanks,” I said, putting my arms through the sleeves. It was really warm. I looked back over to Miku. She only nodded, avoiding my eyes, but I could still see the bags under them. She looked as bad as me. Was she falling apart like me? I almost reached over and took her hand, but grabbed my bag instead. Her eyes followed my hand’s movements. I couldn’t go back to how we used to be. There was something that would always be over between us… that we’d never get back. I had to keep moving.

“Miku… make sure you stay safe until we get back. Rin will be really happy to see you,” I said gently, as Miku’s head snapped up. Tears threatened to spill over before she scowled and turned away from me.

“You better bring her back,” she said, her voice shaky. 

“You got it,” I said, trying to smile. 

Kiyoteru stepped in and hugged me. His carefully placed his head on top of mine and I let my face rest on his chest. He didn’t say anything but his arms said “it’s going to be okay,” “you’re going to be okay,” and “come back safe.” I stayed there for awhile until I pushed away from him. This time I did smile.

“See you later,” I said. 

Kiyoteru nodded, but neither of them said a word as Kaito and I stepped out into the night. Kaito thumped me on the back, his eyes flashing in the moonlight. He didn’t seem worried at all, didn’t feel the pressing weight that was hanging over our heads. He was probably only thinking of Meiko. I breathed in the cool night air and felt my head clear a bit. Maybe if I just thought about Rin I could push away all my other doubts too. I put my hand on the USB around my neck and started walking towards her. 

 

-Rin-

 

“I d-don’t think I can do this.”

[Oh, come on you’ve stolen clothes before.]

“But there weren’t p-people around!” 

I stared in horror at the clothes in my hand as Piko just laughed. If I was a real human I knew my face would be beet red. It was one thing scavenging for decent clothes when it was an abandoned house or store, but walking straight into a store full of people and employees and stealing clothes… I dropped the clothes I’d picked out on the bench and put my hands against it propping myself up. I was about to lose my nerve.

[It’s either have decent clothes or keep walking around like you are and drawing attention to yourself!] Piko said, his enjoyment slowly fading to irritation. I cringed and bit down on my lip. He was right of course. We’d only been in Lacov for two days and I definitely stood out. I looked over at the mirror in the dressing room. I was a mess. My hair was tangled, my clothes torn and stained, and I looked generally grubby. The worst part was my left arm. There was hardly any skin left on it. I tried to keep it covered with a jacket but it was only a matter of time. Sooner or later someone would report me and then it would be a lot harder to stay unnoticed. I needed these clothes to survive. 

Briefly I looked back over to the sign that said “No Shoplifting!” and quickly started ripping off the store tags. Piko leaned back a bit, relieved that I was finally moving. I internally reprimanded myself for being indecisive. We didn’t have the luxury of time and if I was going to steal these I needed to get out of here fast. The longer we stayed out in the open the more likely it was that we would get caught. My left hand was already jittery and I exhaled trying to calm down.

Being in Lacov was a whole other hell than in Exeria. Getting across the border was easier than expected. Maybe it was because so much time had passed since the beginning, but I didn’t question our good luck. Once we were in Lacov, it was like the suffering we all went through—all my friends, my family, my country—it was like it never even happened. Everyone went about their lives like they weren’t living next to millions of people being slaughtered. They went out, they shopped, they ate, they laughed and held their loved ones as if their lives were solid and permanent. I hated them. How dare they kiss each other when the last memory I had of Len was my hand trying to kill him?

I shoved the clothes into my bag and made sure the guns were definitely at the bottom of it. Taking another breath I grabbed the extra clothes I had brought in and walked out of the dressing room. I tossed them onto the return rack and continued on my way as if I hadn’t just stolen a bunch of clothes. The rest of the way out of the store was a blur, I felt like I was about to jump out of my skin. Half of me just wanting to get out of there without being caught and the other half wishing I could show these people some real tragedy. Before I realized it I was in the parking lot, a bag full of stolen clothes and no one coming after me. 

I took a deep breath and started walking again, staying off the main roads while trying to find some public bathrooms. I needed someplace to change and wash up before I could look like a normal kid instead of a robot ready to knock the happy looks off all these idiots’ faces. 

The sun had gone down by the time we reached a library. It loomed in front of me, all columns and marble and fake old architecture. It was probably the biggest library I had ever been in and it had to be here, in Lacov. Quickly, I went in, tying to keep my glaring to a minimum as I followed the signs to the bathrooms. They were blissfully empty and I let my hands unclench. I put my hands against the sink and dropped my head as I let my breathing slow. Even with my eyes closed I couldn’t see just darkness. Piko was there, his mouth a thin line and his arms reaching out and falling to his sides. Sometimes I wish I could just see nothing when I closed my eyes, but that wasn’t Piko’s fault… it wasn’t his fault. 

“I-I’m so-rry, I’ll be f-fine in a second,” I said quietly. 

[All right, all right,] Piko sighed as he tucked his hands under his arms.

Slowly, I looked up at the mirror in front of me and grimaced. I started with the hair first and pulled my ribbon out while my fingers took care of the worst tangles. Once that was generally presentable I pulled off my shirt and stuffed it in the sink with the water running. It wouldn’t be the cleanest washcloth but it would do. I used my wet shirt to get the rest of the grime off my face and arms. Belatedly, I realized how exposed I was. My hands froze halfway through washing my face. If someone walked in right now… with only a bra on it was painfully obvious that I wasn’t human. Anyone could just walk in and see my exposed left arm, the place where my right arm was attached, the bullet that lodged in my back that I had to leave because I couldn’t reach it, and various other places where the skin didn’t match up anymore. 

“ _S-shit_ ,” I hissed as I left my shirt in the sink and snatched up my bag and made a break for the bathroom stall. I slammed the door shut and locked it. My breath came in short gasps as I looked at the closed door. It took me a moment to realize Piko was saying something to me.

[—okay, it’s okay, no one saw you. You’re okay, Rin, we’re going to get through this—]

I choked out a laugh and crushed the bag against my body as I tried to hold myself together.

“I-I’m a… a freak… What the-the hell is this b-body…” I sobbed, it felt like I was shaking apart. “W-why the hell did this happen? Why the h- _hell_ did I… did I h-have to d-die? For th-this? For the… these people?” I broke off, dragging in air that I didn’t even need. Piko cringed, trying to pull away from my grief.

“W-why did th-this happen to uh-us? When the-these _p-people_ walk a-around like… like _n-nothing_ , like nothing, like nothing happened, like we’re _nothing_. Like I-I’m ab-absolutely _nothing_ ,” I gasped, each word strangled as they came out. I doubled over and tried to handle the weight crushing down on my shoulders.

[Rin, please… I… I’m so sorry, I’m so… I’m so sorry,] Piko said helplessly as tears fell from his eyes. They were his tears and… they were mine. Didn’t I…? Didn’t I promise myself I was done crying? When I first came face to face with Piko and we decided… when I knew what needed to be done. I had to restart if I ever wanted to be with everyone again. My friends… my family… they were waiting for me. It didn’t matter what kind of shit I had to go through. It didn’t matter if all the skin got torn off this body. I had to go home… I had to go home to Len. Even if I looked like a monster he would know me. After all… he was the one that made this body. 

“P-Piko it’s… it’s not y-you. I-I’m not up-upset with y-you. This… a-all this… it’s not y-your fault,” I said, slowly uncurling my fingers from their death grip on my bag. Piko just shook his head and covered his face with his hands. I set the bag on the toilet seat and started pulling out the clothes, my hands still shaking and my breath ragged. As I took off the rest of my old clothes I promised myself one more time… that I wouldn’t cry anymore. I couldn’t fall apart like that again. I couldn’t do this to Piko again. With each piece of clothing I put on I pushed away the pain that was breaking me farther and farther into the back of my mind. When I was finally done my hands were still and Piko had stopped crying. I walked out of the stall and looked into the mirror one last time. 

All my monster parts were well hidden now. A long sleeved black shirt covered both of my arms and there were black gloves on my hands. I also had a pair of jeans and boots that were just plain brown. I smiled sadly as I threw my old clothes in the trash along with my ridiculous white boots. I was going to miss those. 

My ribbon was still on the counter. After a moment, I took it and tied it back into my hair. I would keep this at least.

“Let’s go,” I said, putting my bag onto my shoulder. 

[I’m sorry…] Piko wouldn’t look at me, his hands still covering his face. The pain rose up like bile in my throat, but I shoved it down.

“I d-don’t bl-ame you. I don’t bl-ame you f-for any of this,” I said softly, but he still didn’t look at me. I sighed and smiled a little bit, “I-I love you, y-you know? I don’t kn-ow how m-many times y-you’ve help-helped me a-and I don’t th-think I could’ve m-m-made it this far without-out you.” Piko froze, his hands slowly falling from his face. 

“Maybe… maybe in s-some other life-lifetime we c-could have been sib-siblings. But y-y-you know sin-since we’re b-oth robots may-maybe w-we’re al-already siblings. Would… w-would you like th-at?” I asked, wishing I could grab onto his trembling hands. He slowly turned back to me, tears falling from his face again.

[Yeah, I’d… I’d like that.]

“Then it’s o-o-official. You’re my-my brother,” I said, smiling at him as he laughed and grinned right back, still crying as if he’d never stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just apologize aGAIN for these awfully late chapters. If you can believe it I got a job, quit the job, and am now back home for a bit. I'm planning on working on this as fast as I can, I've prolonged it long enough and I really want to tell Len and Rin's story. We're approaching the end, I'm anticipating 3 more chapters and an epilogue, but that's subject to change (aka I might end up writing more ^^;;) Thank you again for reading, this next chapter will be coming much faster <3


	28. Restart Chapter Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning for suicidal ideation in this chapter!

-Meiko-

“This… this can’t be right,” I said again what we’d all been saying for days, but there was no mistaking it. 

“Unless the tracker isn’t working, this is it,” VY2 said, wearily. 

“We knew though… we knew this was a possibility,” IA added, always the voice saying what we didn’t want to acknowledge. “If Piko really knew a place or something that could help Rin, where else but Lacov?”

Rin had gone to Lacov. We’d been traveling back and forth along the border for days, but the tracker never changed. She was there. She was in Lacov. I buried my face in my hands. Why did it have to be there? Why didn’t she take me with her? Why did she leave me again… How many times was I going to lose her?

“Well, let’s look at some positives at least,” VY2 said as he carefully looked out the covered window. “The patrol around the border is nothing like it was when IA and I were here last. We couldn’t even imagine breaking through before but… now I think we’d have a decent chance.”

I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. Here we were discussing how to break into Lacov in some abandoned house only a few miles away from the border, chasing after my sister who happens to be a robot, while trying not to get gunned down just for existing. What kind of stupid world was this. Then there was still… Kaito. I’d left him. I’d left him there bleeding out at the lab. That idiot… that idiot still smiling up at me as I cried into his hair. But I’d had to leave him. Rin needed me. My once-dead sister. God, they both felt so far away from me. 

“I know we’re all kind of… down, right now, but we really do have to think positively,” VY2 said again, leaving the window and sitting down on the floor next to IA. We were all sitting on the floor in the second floor bedroom that overlooked the street. The room had already been cleared out by the time we got there so now all of our sleeping bags and things were scattered about. Our only light source was a flashlight we had propped up on the floor. VY2 put an arm over IA’s shoulder and SeeU scooted in closer. Reluctantly, I moved in as well. 

“We have to believe that we’re going to make it to Rin,” VY2 continued, but trailed to a stop. He and IA exchanged a worried glance. I could only imagine what was going through their mind, being here by the border. They told us of the last time they’d been here. The looks on their faces when they talked about being turned away, right when they thought they’d finally gotten away from this horror… They were terrified to be here. And… dammit I was scared too. It was different than just running and hiding from Lacov, we were going to walk straight into it. I clenched my fists and shook my head.

“I know we’re all scared,” I started, taking a shaky breath, “but we can’t leave Rin alone. That’s it, isn’t it? That’s all there is to it. She’s off doing some noble bullshit that she can’t get us involved in, but we need to go and get her back. And we’re going to do it.” At that I leaned forward and grabbed SeeU’s shoulder on my left and IA’s on my right. I tried to pass whatever certainty, whatever courage I had left, to them. Looking at them I almost felt like crying. They were… all of them, they were just children in this goddamn shitty world.

IA smiled first, lightly touching my hand.

“You’re right,” IA replied, “Of course you’re right. We’ve wasted enough time trying to find another option. Let’s come up with a plan to break through.” Slowly, it felt like the rest of the tension in the room broke. I breathed out and let my hands fall back. Somehow… somehow I had to believe this was all going to turn out all right. I had to… for them… and for me. 

“Okay so I think we better start with where is the best place to break through. I think that security was the most lax around…” VY2 started in, going through the information we had so far. I let myself relax for a minute. We’re going to make it through this.

“Probably sometime past midnight would be good,” added SeeU, but as soon as she paused there was an audible thump from the floor below. I froze and looked towards the closed bedroom door.

“You… you heard that, right?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. 

“ _Shit_ , we… IA, SeeU, Meiko stay back in here, I’ll go,” VY2 hissed, grabbing the gun from his bag.

“I’m going too,” I said, taking a gun as well and unsteadily getting to my feet. VY2 paused, but then just nodded, not bothering to argue with me. I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the pain in my leg. Who… _who_ could _possibly_ be walking in here now? Was it Lacov’s soldiers? Was it some other person just hiding? Why couldn’t we have just _one_ night?

“It sounds like there’s two people,” SeeU whispered, her hands at her cat ears, adjusting the volume. VY2 and I nodded as he went for the door first. IA moved forward and switched off the flashlight. We took a second to let our eyes adjust and VY2 opened the door as slowly as possible. I breathed a sigh of relief that it didn’t make any noise. I followed VY2 out the door as we crept down the staircase. Now, I could hear what SeeU probably did: two voices and footsteps. We still couldn’t see them as we reached the end of the stairs, they must be in the next room. VY2 caught my eye and motioned for us to run in and knock them down. We couldn’t go in guns blazing until we were sure that it was really soldiers we’re up against. I nodded and breathed out, waiting for his signal. 

Two figures rounded the corner and I jumped at the closest one. Pain flared down my leg as I stumbled forward, wrapping my arms around the person’s waist as I fell. Somehow it still got the job done and we crashed to the floor together. The one I grabbed yelped as their head thudded off the floor. They tried to push me away, but I slammed one of their hands down and put my gun to their head.

“Don’t move or I’ll put a bullet through your head,” I said as the figure froze underneath me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that VY2 had the other likewise incapacitated. It didn’t seem like they were soldiers at least but—

“Meiko…?”

My breath caught in my throat. That wasn’t VY2’s voice. I looked back at the one I was on top of and felt my world flip upside down. Kaito… Kaito was there flat on his back looking up at me, smiling… smiling that stupid smile he always had even though I had a gun to his head. I felt it slip out of my hand as Kaito reached up to touch my face. 

“Kaito?” I breathed out. My hands grabbed down on his cheeks and I yanked. 

“H-eey!” He yelped.

“Is it… is it really you? Are you really here right now? I’m not hallucinating, right?” I said, my eyes burning and my hands shaking as I tried to take it all in. Water dropped down on his face, his eyes full of regrets. Was I crying? 

“Meiko… Meiko I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t—I was wrong, the whole time I was so wrong,” he started crying too as he held my face in his hands, “All that time I… wasted… trying to protect you and pushing you away… God, I didn’t know if you were dead or alive.”

Kaito stopped, the tears still streaming down his face as he searched mine. He was still waiting for me to push him away; to tell him it was too late for us. I couldn’t help but smile now. Didn’t he see what kind of miracle this was? That he was here, alive and whole and I was here, alive? We were alive in this stupid falling apart world. Didn’t Kaito see that this was a damn miracle and I didn’t care about anything than this moment right now?

I closed the distance between us. I kissed him and it felt like a million possibilities. Because if Kaito could still make it to me, in this shit place, after all this death, why couldn’t we save Rin? Why couldn’t we be happy someday? I had a miracle right here under my lips. Kaito laughed and wrapped his arms tightly around my shoulders.

“Umm… so do you know them?” VY2 asked, and I somehow looked away from Kaito to VY2 who was awkwardly holding the other person—was that Len? Len was here too?!—at arms length. I couldn’t help it, the look of confusion on VY2’s red face as he tried to be serious was it for me. I started laughing and didn’t stop until Kaito shut me up with another kiss.

 

-Len-

I looked into my hands and tried to slow down my breathing. Meiko told me everything… everything that had happened to Rin until she disappeared. The antivirus… Piko… her body breaking down… the disbelief when she was gone. The antivirus hadn’t worked. It hadn’t worked. I tried so hard and… I failed. I failed her.

I lurched to my feet and tried to pace the room before I ended up sitting on the worn couch again, my legs like jelly. Just an hour ago I thought I was going to die as that gun was pressed against my head. Then the utter relief when I realized that was Meiko… that Rin had to be _here_ and not at Lacov. Then feeling my heart stop when I saw that look of _pity_ on Meiko’s face as she told me. Everything after that seemed to blur together. I tried to listen as they discussed our options with VY2 and IA, the ones who had actually helped Rin, and swallowed as if that could keep my panic down. I stood as long as I could before escaping into a different room of the house. 

When the tracker led me to the border, to Lacov, I thought she was dead. I thought she’d been killed and dragged to Lacov to be studied or taken apart or— My hand reflexively clamped down on my arm, sending a painful jolt down it where I’d been shot. Everything was finally falling down, everything I’d stacked so carefully, desperately hoping, desperately trying to believe. If I’d been alone I would’ve stopped. I would’ve fallen to pieces right there. If Kaito hadn’t been there to drag me away I might’ve still been there. Instead it was happening now. 

My hands shook and I stuffed them under my arms, trying to deceive myself again. I couldn’t pretend I was all right. Tears still came even though I had my eyes closed tight and I let my head fall on my knees. I was going to lose her. I was going to lose Rin. I would still go, I had to keep going, until I could see her one last time, but I couldn’t imagine us ever making it back. I couldn’t see our future anymore. There was a point I couldn’t bear listening anymore to everyone talking about getting into Lacov. Like we could come back from that. Like we could survive this. Why, _why_ , did Rin go there? There was some… robot in her head helping her? The same thing that had hacked her in the first place… I shook my head. How could I believe in that? How… how was I…

My hands found their way to my face. Vaguely I realized that my hair had fallen out of its tie as my fingers got tangled in it. My breath hitched and I shoved my face harder into my hands, I didn’t want anyone to hear. Dammit, I needed to stop this. I couldn’t be like this in the morning. 

There was a light knock on the door and I flinched. 

“Meiko, please—“ I started to beg as I looked up from my hands, only to find it wasn’t Meiko. IA stood in the doorframe for a moment before coming in, closing the door softly behind her. I didn’t move until she was suddenly sitting beside me on the couch and I hid my face in my hands again. The only thing worse than Meiko seeing me cry is complete strangers seeing me cry. I tried to even out my breath but it only seemed to make it worse. God, why couldn’t everyone just leave me alone until the morning, just let me fall apart until the morning. 

“The first time I saw Rin, she was surrounded by soldiers about to shoot her,” IA said, her quiet voice filling the room. “At first I had no idea what to think. Her arm was just… completely gone and she was covered in blood.” I squeezed my eyes closed, but the tears kept coming. Was she trying to make me feel better? I didn’t want to hear this.

“But, you know, as soon as I saw her face I knew she was just like us,” IA continued. “We had that same look on our faces when we lost our home and when we figured out there was no escape. That same lost look.” I dropped my hands slowly and watched as she folded hers in her lap. She looked straight ahead, a small smile on her face.

“One time… she tried to kill me.”

I jerked up, our eyes meeting. She just smiled.

“The virus had gone out of control and she almost shot me in the head. I was… I was so scared. I thought maybe I’d die there. But… I didn’t. She didn’t kill me. It was Piko that stopped her. He stopped her from killing me,” IA said, her voice starting to tremble. I couldn’t look away, I didn’t even care that she could see me crying. Rin… Rin, how much suffering did you have to go through?

“Sometimes I still see her red eyes when I sleep,” she shakily breathed out through her mouth. “But I never regretted meeting her. I never regretted all the time we spent together. I’d do… all of this over again if I had to and now… now I’ll go into Lacov if it means we can have her back again.” 

IA leaned over and reached out her hands. I hesitated for a moment before letting her take mine. I could hardly see her face in this dark room, but I could see her eyes—her eyes earnestly looking into mine as she started talking again.

“I know it’s hard, maybe impossible, but try to… try to trust Rin and Piko. I… I’m sure you trust Rin, but… Piko’s been trying so hard. I could tell he really regretted what he did and now…” she faltered for a second, her gaze falling before she looked at me again. “I know that I have nothing to go off of but I truly believe he’s trying to help her now. I know he’s a good person too.”

She was right. It might be impossible for me to trust Piko. To trust the thing that had infected Rin with that damn virus. It… he ripped us apart. 

“I don’t… I don’t know if I can,” I said, my voice barely coming out as a whisper. IA’s hands tightened around mine.

“It’s okay… if you can’t,” IA said and I tried not to look away at the tears in her eyes. She carefully let my hands go and pushed off from the couch. She stood there for a moment before turning back to me. 

“There was a time when Rin completely lost her voice. All she could do was motion at us or try to write short messages. I got… really worried about her, during then. And I asked her, I asked if she was lonely. All those long days, not being able to say a word. I knew if it was me I’d be going crazy,” IA said with a small humorless laugh. “But Rin… she just shook her head and smiled at me. She pointed at both me and VY2 and then she wrote down for me: Piko’s here too. That whole time she couldn’t speak to us, Piko was there talking to her, being there for her in ways that… I couldn’t be.” IA put her hands over her heart and looked down.

“It’s okay if you can’t trust him, but I wanted you to know that… that I do trust him,” IA said, the tears in her eyes finally falling down her cheeks. She briefly brushed at them and smiled sheepishly. “That’s all I had to say. I-I’m sorry if I only ended up bothering you.”

IA turned to make a break for the door but I lurched forward and grabbed her hand. She looked back, her eyebrows raised in surprise, as I tried to say something. I sobbed, letting myself cry now. Hearing about Rin was so painful, hearing about all those times I would never be there for her, all those times I could’ve lost her and never known. But… but maybe I forgot how strong she was. Maybe I forgot all those times she was holding me up. All those times I had crawled over to her side at night when I couldn’t stop seeing her dead body in my arms, and she held me in hers. Trust… If I couldn’t trust Piko, I had to at least… trust Rin. 

“C-could you tell me more… more about Rin when you were with her?” I finally choked out. IA just nodded and sat back down on the couch, putting an arm around my shaking shoulders. I leaned into her and cried quietly as IA started from the beginning.

 

-Miku-

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to die. That one thought echoed through my head, always returning. As we waited for Len to recover, I’d had a lot of time to think. Too much time. Over and over again I tried to pinpoint the exact moment I went wrong. Was it when I decided to fight back as if we could win the war ourselves, or when I betrayed Len— or was it when I watched Rin shoot Len, and I wanted nothing more than to kill her right then and there? Or maybe even farther back. Maybe it was the day Len carried Rin’s body into the lab and I decided to help him put her into the robot we’d been working on. If we’d never put her into that damn robot…

No… No I couldn’t blame this on Rin. I’d been blaming Rin this entire time, trying to kill her in my head since I couldn’t do it for real. I’d had the shot. I knew where to shoot to make sure she never turned on again. But I didn’t. I let her run. 

Maybe it was the day I watched my coworkers get slaughtered while I hid. I should’ve just died with them. Then I wouldn’t have had to drag their bodies out of the lab. I wouldn’t have had to see their dead faces looking up at me as I tried to find a place to bury them. I didn’t even know all of their names but I was never going to forget those faces. Their dead faces. I couldn’t even bury them, I could only get them into another building. The blankets I threw over them did nothing. I still saw those faces, everyone of them. If I had just died then…

I looked down the trashed street and tried to yank on the hair that wasn’t there anymore. If anything, there was a pretty good chance I would die today. I had been to all the other resistance groups, letting them know about how Oliver… about how I let the information of where our bases were get into the enemies hands. I stood there and let them yell and scream at me. I deserved it. Some hit me. I let them. And today I was going to try to tell Arnold, the last one. He promised to kill me if I came back. I would let him. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to die, but I prayed he’d listen to me first. I had to let him know. I had to save as many of them as I could.

“You really shouldn’t have come with me this time,” I said as I looked back at Kiyoteru. He stood just behind me, his clothes shabby and grey but somehow still looking like he was about to go into work. I tried not to compare his neat appearance with mine, which… I knew was a mess. A bruise was coloring most of the side of my face and a long cut trailed across my forehead above my eye. My worn shirt had plenty of blood on it and my jeans were starting to get more holes than were fashionable. At least my hair kind of looked nice now that Kanon had cut it, even if I did miss the length.

“I really _should_ have come,” Kiyoteru corrected, his eyebrows drawing together as he stared at me over his cracked glasses. I frowned and started walking down the street. Kiyoteru saw too much. He was going to see right through me if I wasn’t careful. I still didn’t understand why he had insisted on coming with me to everyone of these meetings. This was the first time it was just us. Everyone else was still desperately trying to find a new place for us to hide. The lab… it really had been perfect. We hadn’t even found anything remotely as safe as that had been.

Taking a breath I focused in on the grocery store we were approaching. I knew this place was near Arnold’s hideout, but I never knew how close. I wasn’t sure if they would even come. I didn’t know what would happen when he saw me. It was getting harder to care about what could happen to me. 

“Let’s go,” I said as I carefully moved across the street, not looking back at Kiyoteru. I knew he’d follow. 

The stillness in the air was unnerving. Nothing moved but us as we reached the gaping doors of the grocery store. I took one last look around. Nothing, just empty streets and overcast sky. Kiyoteru walked past me into the store and I followed him in. The grocery store was also empty. Any food in here had been long since taken and some of the shelves had been toppled over. I scanned the area but there didn’t seem to be anyone here. I sighed, it probably wouldn’t be that easy.

“We might have to wait it out—“ A sharp bang cut me off as I jerked to a stop. Someone had shot at my feet. My heart jumped as I tried to find where it came from. Kiyoteru grabbed my arm and the breath I’d been holding escaped. 

“Miku—“ Kiyoteru started.

“You must be even stupider than I thought you were.”

My eyes passed back over the space Arnold seemed to materialize in. It was without a doubt him, even though he’d shaved his beard since, and if I needed anymore convincing as to who it was: his gun was aimed right at me. I raised my hands slowly. 

“I-I’m sorry I—“ I started.

“Now I believe I said that if I saw your damn face again I’d kill you, or did you think I didn’t mean it?” he said, his cold eyes sending a chill down my spine. 

“Please, let’s calm down,” Kiyoteru said, also raising his hands to show they were empty. Arnold seemed to study Kiyoteru, but he didn’t lower his gun.

“I know, I know what you said last time but I had to come and I promise you’ll never see me again,” I said, rushing on when Arnold didn’t stop me. “There was a spy from Lacov in our group. We had no idea what he was doing until it was too late, and he got away with all the information of where the resistance groups were in the city. I-I don’t know if he’d be able to find your base but I had to let you know.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard,” Arnold said, suddenly pointing his gun away from me and casually resting it on his shoulder. I hesitated, unsure what to do next.

“Oh, ah… Okay, I… I’m so sorry I let this happen,” I stumbled through, my hands starting to lower.

“I wondered if you’d have the guts to come back here when I heard you’d been letting the other groups know,” Arnold said as he started to walk towards us. I tried to step back but Kiyoteru rested a hand on my shoulder. I threw him a confused look before turning my attention back on Arnold. He stopped a little ways from us.

“You know, I forget that you’re just a kid,” he said, shaking his head. “But you’re a lot more brave than I gave you credit for. Maybe I was being a coward when you came here last.”

I felt my mouth drop open as I stared at him in shock. What was happening right now? I thought he was going to kill me— but he was just testing me? 

“Don’t worry about us, we’ll be well hidden if anyone comes sniffing along. Look out for yourself a bit, your face is a mess,” Arnold said, actually cracking a smile at me this time. 

“O-okay,” I managed before Arnold nodded at Kiyoteru and then turned away. He waved once without looking back then he was gone. I stood there dumbfounded for a moment before I felt my legs give away, dropping to my knees. 

“What the… hell was that?” I gasped out, shaking my head in disbelief. I thought I was coming here to die today but instead he… he smiled? He let me off? 

“That was him forgiving you, I believe,” Kiyoteru said. I looked up to see him holding out his hand to me, one eyebrow raised, but he was also… smiling. 

These people… They kept forgiving me. They kept me alive. First Len and now Arnold and… maybe Kiyoteru too. I didn’t deserve all these people around me. I didn’t deserve the kids from the lab who still stuck with me even though I almost got all of them killed. I didn’t deserve Len who’d almost died saving me when I’d put him through so much pain. I didn’t deserve this. But I was still alive, I was still walking. I sighed and took Kiyoteru’s hand, letting him pull me to my feet. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to die but… I guess I could put it off for a bit longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow managed to write a chapter in a timely manner! The next one will probably be coming in April since I need to buckle down on some cosplays. Thank you again for reading! The next chapter is going to be the beginning of the finale! I hope you are ready for it because I certainly am not ^^;;


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